Choices of the Heart
by WadeWells
Summary: Life has many twists and turns, especially when it comes to those you fall in love with. This is a story of forbidden love and those who will risk it all to over come it.
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to Choices of the Heart. _

_I consider myself a Keith/Allura writer, but every once in a while, a writer, even an amateur as myself, needs to expand, challenge herself and explore new worlds. _

_Merla has always been a favorite of mine. She is smart, sexy, and wild. I adore her. So, why not let her have a story of her own…and why not let her take a more prominent role! _

_I hope you enjoy reading Choices of the Heart…I really enjoyed writing it._

Chapter 1: Illusions

The night breeze attempted to calm Keith Kogane's nerves as he stood by the castle balcony overlooking the bright moon of Arus. The pool of light that emanated from the orb hanging in the dark sky casted down the lake below, allowing him to see silhouettes of the landscape around him, despite the grey-black clouds that ominously tried to cover it.

Normally a night so relaxing, so peaceful, would calm the storms that battled within him. Tonight would not be such a night. He would not find the peace needed to calm the battle brooding within him. His mind raced as thoughts of the day's earlier events replayed in his mind.

Keith shook his head in frustration. "King of Arus….more like a fucking puppet," he whispered. "How the hell could I-"

"Keith." A woman's voice interrupted what was to become his soliloquy. He turned to find Allura, Princess of Arus walk toward. Not willing to meet his gaze, she wrapped her arms around her fiancé's waist as soon as she could make contact. Stiffening at her touch, Keith took a deep breath to calm himself. Never one to be impulsive, he wouldn't allow his anger to get the better of him. The princess ignored his actions and placed her head on his chest. "Please try to understand."

"Understand?" He questioned her, "Please help me understand how you could make such a drastic decision without consulting me? Help me understand why you decided to speak to the admiral without me. _Tell me_ why you lied to my team and announced this decision as if we made it together!" His voice rose at the end. "Allura, the Alliance meets for the Summit Conference in two weeks. The bylaws state that everyone in the galaxy has a right to participate, even Drule nations. You've managed to kick them out for no reason. What you did…it's just low, Allura."

Feeling his body become even more rigid as he spoke, Allura pulled away from him and stood meeting his gaze. Dark angry eyes met equally angry dark, aqua blues; neither backed down. Keith's words didn't faze Allura as much as they infuriated her, "_I did what I had to do_. Don't you understand that we need to destroy all of them in order to regain the freedom of the Denubian Galaxy?"

Turning around, unable to face her, the Captain of the Voltron Force looked at the darkness of Arus once again, "Not all of them are the enemy Allura. You're the one who doesn't seem to understand that the real enemy within the Denubian is Zarkon and Lotor. The fight should be against them, not every Drule in the galaxy. Most of them don't want anything to do with Zarkon."

Raising her voice and losing her tolerance, Allura began yelling, "And you want to take the risk? Keith, how do you know that? What if this is just some trick? What if they are all like that sick bastard? And this group you speak of…how can you trust them?"

Looking back at her with a ferocious glare, he answered her, "So what are you telling me Allura? That you're willing to risk destroying an entire civilization on a _theory_ that they may all be like Zarkon?" Keith felt the loss of his patience as he heard his voice rising.

"And you are willing to keep them alive on the hope that they're not?" she challenged.

"I don't have hope Allura!" He threw back at her, "I have proof!"

"From a Drule!" the princess shouted back, "Very convincing Keith."

No longer keeping his temper in check, Keith began to walk away from her, "Speaking to you is useless."

"Where are you going?" She suddenly shouted.

"What do you care!" Keith snarled before walking out of the balcony and exiting the bedroom.

In the silvery darkness around her, Allura wept.

VVVVVVVVVV

The next morning, whistling a jovial tune as he walked down the hallway, Lance made his way to the captain's office, hoping he'd catch Keith there. Morning storms had caused the captain to call off lion practice. Rather than tormenting them with other drills, he allowed his team to sleep through the morning. Seldom did Keith provide them with such luxury, but they were due for one. They worked hard and he knew it. Taking advantage, Lance made the decision to milk the benefit as much as he could. He slept most of the morning and woke up actually feeling his twenty-four years; it was refreshing.

Punching in the security code to Keith's office, he smoothly and casually walked in smiling at the captain, who sat reading through a datapad. "Morning Cap."

"I changed the security code three days ago." Keith looked up from the datapad, slightly annoyed.

"Yes, I know." Lance smirked, "I changed it back because I found it slightly annoying that I had to learn another code." He shrugged. "Besides, you don't keep any secrets in here, do you?"

"No. You are right, no secrets. But I do like to have a place where I don't have to find my smart ass friend lingering around, especially when I don't feel like speaking to him." Keith turned back to his datapad and continued working.

Lance whistled as he shook his head, "Another fight with Allura, huh?"

Keith snorted.

"Yep. Another fight. That explains why you pulled a double shift with Black last night. This doesn't have to do with the announcement that she made last night at dinner, does it?"

Keith stood up from his chair and walked over to the large window that faced more of the greenery landscape of Arus. Leaning against the window, he faced Lance, "How can she destroy an entire civilization based on the mistakes of one man?"

"Keith, that one man killed her entire family," Lance reminded him.

"So everyone needs to pay?" Keith suddenly ranted. "These are people who have also suffered under Zarkon's reign. People with families, children…they are not at fault."

Sitting down on the chair across Keith's desk, Lance sighed. "I understand, but you know Allura. She has always thought ill of the Drules. They killed her parents right in front of her. I hate to say it, but they traumatized her in more ways that you'll probably ever know."

"She's cold Lance." Keith finished, "Her emotions lately are getting the better of her."

"Are you sure they are just her emotions?" Looking questionably at his friend, Lance continued, "Keith, you are my best friend and I wouldn't hurt you, but…." he sighed, preparing mentally for what he was going to tell him, "Do you really love Allura?"

"What the hell type of question is that?"

"Do you?" Lance repeated.

"Of course I do." Keith immediately replied, "You, out of all people should know that."

Lance shrugged, "I know that she loves you, but, sometimes, I feel that…..well, maybe in some alternate universe you two belong together, but here, now…you are like oil and water."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," the captain snorted.

Standing up and walking to his friend, Lance touched his shoulders affectionately, "You know what I mean. You two are walking down the aisle in a couple of months. I just want to make sure that you are making the right decision, that's all."

Taking a deep breath, Keith nodded, "I know what I'm doing. She angers me…at times, but I know I love her. I'm sure once the stress of the Summit is over, we'll be able to work things out."

Smiling sadly, Lance nodded, "Sure you will. Just make sure at the end, you are happy and satisfied with the decision you made. Remember Keith, no matter how much you try to mix oil and water…it just doesn't man, it just doesn't."

VVVVVVVV

Later that day as Keith walked to the gym, he ran into Hunk along the hallway, "Hey, Cap." The big man smiled as he greeted his friend, "Another fight with the princess?"

Shocked, Keith looked back at him, "What makes you say that?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, "other than you pulling double duty last night. Oh, and the fact that you both missed lunch this afternoon, kind of gave me another hint." Hunk told him as they walked together, apparently toward the same destination.

"That obvious?"

"That obvious," the bigger man confirmed. "But, I guess it's understandable. This Summit meeting has taken a life of its own." The big man was right about the Summit. The conference met once a year and listened to planets around the Denubian Galaxy who wanted to become members of the Alliance. They pleaded their case and offered their services to current member planets that had the power to allow them in.

The war grew potentially more dangerous with every passing year. Lately, Zarkon's technology and weaponry increased to frightening levels and even though the Alliance kept up with the competition, at times it still lagged. The amount of Alliance soldiers dying in combat had tripled in the last year. Voltron evened out the situation, but Keith realized that it wasn't enough to protect the entire galaxy. They needed more. He was hoping that some of the Drule planets could potentially provide such help. They had been trying for months to meet with the Alliance in secret; too afraid to know what would happen if Zarkon found out. Allura wasn't making things any easier.

"I'm guessing that you weren't too happy with Allura's decision to exclude Drule nations at the conference," Hunk continued.

Nodding in agreement, Keith answered, "More than I can say. If she could just understand… this could mean an immense advantage over Zarkon's forces. We're at a disadvantage as it is…the drules could even us out."

"What about that new rebel group?" the bigger man asked. "The Allied Forces?" He had heard of them from previous small conversations with Keith, but really didn't know much about them.

"Yes, them," Keith sighed.

"You don't sound very confident about them."

"I'm actually very confident that they can help." The captain stated firmly, "They are a new group that would like rights to enter into the Summit and work with us to end Zarkon for good."

Looking questionably at his friend, Hunk shook his head lightly, "Ok, I'm not understanding what the problem is…"

Keith answered, "The Allied Forces are a Drule movement group."

"Oh." Hunk immediately stated when he heard Keith's answer, "Drule? That would become a problem."

"Hence the argument," Keith continued, "Allura is adamant about not letting them in. She wants nothing to do with them other than to destroy and wipe away their existence."

"I know this is something you don't want to do," Hunk answered. He knew that Keith spent a year abroad at different Drule planets during his third year at the Academy. He learned their culture, language, and customs. When he returned, Keith told Hunk, along with the rest of his group, the misconception so many people had of Drules and their planets. It was this learning experience that made Hunk realize how much Drules had changed Keith's perceptions. Apparently, time had not changed anything. "So what now?"

"I don't know…continue convincing her of doing otherwise. Maybe speak with the admiral." Keith shrugged, "All I know is that I have to make this happen. I have to find some way of including the Allied Forces at the Summit."

"You'll find a way," Hunk assured him. He knew that Keith was as persistent as he was convincing. "So, care to wrestle or spar?"

The captain smiled at his friend, "We'll spar. Last time we wrestled, you kicked the shit out of me."

Laughing, Hunk answered, "That's because you did the same when we sparred last week. Well, how about a truce? Weight lifting."

Keith rolled his eyes, "I see you kicking my ass again, but whatever. You're on."

XXXXXXXXXX

Before he knew it, dinnertime arrived. After a long day in his office reading over endless forms for the Alliance, working out with Hunk at the gym followed by yet another meeting with Coran to finalize the details of the Summit, Keith didn't realize how fast the day went.

Walking out of Coran's office with the intent of heading to his room to freshen up before dinner, he suddenly received a call from the most unexpected person.

Detaching his comm. unit from the belt of his pants, he answered with a sigh, "Yes Allura."

"Would you please come to my office?" She asked a bit guardedly.

"Sure," Keith replied, not wanting to sound angry. He put the comm. unit back on his belt and walked to Allura's office. A minute or two later he arrived to find Allura at her desk, typing on her datapad. She looked up when he walked in. "You wanted to see me?" Keith asked neutrally.

"Yes," she nodded. "I…I wanted to apologize for last night." The princess paused for a moment before continuing, "I thought a lot about what I did and…I should have consulted with you first before speaking on your behalf...or making a decision without including you. I'm sorry, Keith."

Surprised by her sudden action, Keith felt the loss of words come to him. He wasn't expecting this from Allura.

Looking at him worriedly, Allura stood up, "Keith? I really am sorry. Please forgive me. I promise that from now on I'll work on including you in the decisions made for Arus and the Alliance."

Allura walked toward him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. Everything that had just happened was unexpected, but more than that, Keith felt the apology came from her heart. Allura felt sorry for what she had done and that meant the world to him. He found himself hugging her back. "I'm sorry…for walking out on you the way that I did."

Smiling at him, she answered, "I deserved it. I was….pretty bad."

He laughed a bit before kissing her. Allura returned the kiss with such passion that Keith felt breathless. With the sudden shift in their breathing, the princess wasted no time in unbuttoning his shirt and exposing his bare chest. "I want you." She said between kisses, caressing his chest gently with her hand. "Make love to me now." Allura finished as she peeled off the rest of the shirt off his body.

Breathing hard, Keith didn't answer her. Instead, he lifted and carried his princess to the couch in the living area of her office. Lying on top of her, Keith kissed her deeply before his mouth moved to her cheeks and then her ear. His tongue brushed her delicate lobe. He blew a light breath over the moist spot making Allura shiver before she let out a gasp of satisfaction.

Keith's hand roamed under her skirt, caressing her toned leg as he simultaneously kissed her neck then her cheek, until he reached her mouth once more. Allura felt her need for him intensify as he suddenly lifted her up a bit and began undressing her. He took off her blouse leaving only her bra. And she, in turn, did not detach her lips from his while he began to remove her skirt. Knowing that she had to help him, Allura stood and coaxed Keith to do the same. As he finished removing the skirt, she worked on unbuttoning his pants. Soon the rest of their clothes vanished from their bodies.

Returning to the sofa, Allura laid down first. Keith smiled, admiring the perfect contours of her body; the beauty he had inherited. Allura was a goddess in perfect human form. "What are you waiting for?" flirted.

"I love you," he suddenly told her. The princess smiled broadly. Sometimes it was hard to understand why they fought so much, why she was so hard and callous at times, and the epitome of an angel at others. Keith laid on top of her and kissed her on the lips with all the gentleness she required and asked of him. Opening her legs to him, Allura begged, bucking her hips against his.

Reading her thoughts, Keith thrust himself into her. Allura sighed heavily in ecstasy, enjoying the feel of him inside of her. She was so wet, Keith couldn't control himself, so his thrusts became faster. Allura closed her eyes, trying to keep her rhythm within his, "Keith….slower….slower," she ordered. Controlling himself, he slowed his pace, making sure she'd receive the satisfaction she craved.

The thrusts became slower, smoother, gentler. Allura, unable to control herself any longer, grabbed onto Keith and cried out her orgasm. Keith, on the other hand, continued his thrusts, making sure not to hurt her. Moments later, he joined her then fell on her.

Both breathing heavily, they rested on top of each other without speaking. After some moments, Keith spoke first, "Dinner will be served soon."

"Hmmm," was Allura's only answer.

"We should get dressed before Nanny barges in," Keith said, kissing her forehead.

Smiling Allura answered, "I locked the door."

Looking at her rather curiously, "You had this planned, didn't you?"

The princess giggled, "No, of course not."

"You little witch," he told her tickling her. Allura laughed and tried to get away, "No, you don't." he joked as he grabbed her.

The princess wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I love you so much," she told him, looking straight into his eyes.

Smiling at her, he kissed her once more before replying, "I love you too, sweetheart. I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for your reviews, kind messages and encouraging words. It's a pleasure to be part of this fandom! :)

Chapter 2-Promises

Allura watched Keith slipping on his shirt as she walked out of the bathroom fully dressed. With his back to her, he spoke out, "We better get going or Hunk will eat our dinner too." The princess smiled at his attempt to humor her.

"Hey," she suddenly told him.

"Yeah?" he answered as he began buttoning his shirt.

"What if…" she sighed, "What if I told you that…I'd…agree to meet with the leader of the Allied Forces?"

Shocked, Keith quickly turned around to face her. "What did you say?"

Allura walked a couple of steps toward him, "I know this means a lot to you and….and I'm willing to open my mind to the possibility of working with them…for you."

Smiling, Keith wrapped his arms around her and kissed her sweetly, "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

The princess suddenly pulled away from his embrace, looking back at him with seriousness in her eyes, "I'm doing this for you."

He nodded in understanding, "I know."

Shaking her head, she stated firmly, "But Keith, if I don't like where this is going…."

The captain immediately interrupted her, "I know. But I promise you Allura…this alliance is going to benefit Arus. I wouldn't push so hard if I didn't believe in it."

She didn't respond to his words. Looking at him with sadness in her eyes, "It's just that….the Drules….they killed my entire family….I have a hard time seeing…good in them."

"They are not all bad, sweetheart." Keith caressed her cheek gently. "But, I understand how hard this is for you." Allura leaned closer to him, enjoying the feel of his hand on her. Keith smiled appreciatively, "Thank you for doing this. I'll call Hazar after dinner."

"Hazar?" she questioned looking up at him, "Is that the Drule you saved a few years ago, the leader of the Allied Forces?"

"He is my friend, yes." Keith nodded, "But he reports to the reigning monarch of his planet."

"Alright," the princess sighed hesitantly, "Make the arrangements."

Kissing her softly, Keith smiled his gratitude, "This means a lot to me. Thank you so much."

A small smile crept across her lips. She took his arm gently, "Let's have some dinner."

XXXXXXXXXX

After dinner, Keith went to his office and placed a call to Commander Hazar of Aven, thankful that he finally had good news to report.

"Keith!" the Drule beamed excitedly, "How good to see you, dear friend."

"How are you Hazar, staying out of trouble, I hope?" the captain joked.

"Now, why would you say that? As I recall, there has been a few times that you've been the one to cause trouble."

Keith laughed, "Only because you made me."

Even though his tone grew a bit serious, the man kept his smile, "I'm hoping you have good news for me."

"I do," the captain replied with excitement. "I've spoken to Allura and she's agreed to meet with the queen."

Sighing with relief, Hazar's eyes showed much appreciation and gratitude toward his friend. "I'm very relieved my friend. This alliance can shape the entire outcome of the war in the Denubian."

"I'm hopeful that it will save the lives of many," Keith added. "That's my priority."

"The queen feels the same. Thank you for making this happen," Hazar told him, "I know it has not been an easy task."

Laughing a bit, the Captain of the Voltron Force answered, "Well, it hasn't been, but it wasn't entirely impossible either."

"When shall we speak?" the commander then asked, "Merla's at a meeting at the moment with her assistant, but I'm sure this news will cause a lot of motivation and excitement when she addresses the members of the Allied Forces later this evening."

"I'll have to get back to you on that." Keith shook his head, "It took a lot to have Allura finally agree to this."

The Drule's features turned worrisome for a moment, "Are you sure she won't back…"

Immediately, Keith shook his head, "No, she won't, Hazar. I promise I'll contact you tomorrow with the details. Do not worry."

"Alright," the man on the other side of the screen nodded, "I'll expect a call from you soon then."

"You can count on it."

XXXXXXXXXX

Cossack, the right hand man of the Prince of Doom, briskly walked to his lord's suites. His heart pounded. A bit nervous about the news he would soon relay to the prince, Cossack felt these were the times he dreaded his position as second in command after Lotor. Giving Lotor bad news was worse than standing in front of a guillotine. The prince's temper boiled hotter than Haggar's lair when she produced the dark fires that helped create her ruthless, but useless robeasts.

When he reached the main chamber doors, Cossack inhaled deeply and exhaled with resignation. The news would enrage Lotor to the point of insanity. Cossack made sure to wear his laser proof vest around his chest. Anything that dealt with either Merla or Allura these days pushed Lotor to the edge. He wasn't at his best when it came to these women. Sighing once more, Cossack pressed the calling button and within moments the doors slid open.

Classical music filled the air. Cossack always wondered why Lotor took a liking to such dull and simple Terran music, but the prince diligently told him one day long ago, _Poor Cossack, just because they are the enemy doesn't mean we can't appreciate some of their few fine qualities. You wouldn't understand my friend; your mind is that of a simpleton who walks through life without the gift of appreciating the finer things._

The man didn't agree with the prince. He damn well appreciated the finer qualities of his enemies. He appreciated the expertise it took for Voltron to beat Lotor's ass continuously and he appreciated how the Terrans had the upper hand…at times. Cossack didn't necessarily feel happy about their victories, but he certainly appreciated how the Empire underestimated the Terrans. Not that he'd ever tell Lotor that. Either way, he would never understand or appreciate Terran classical music. He'd rather take his chances with the witch a couple of floors below the main castle.

As he walked farther into the room, he noticed Lotor sitting down in a lush monstrous chair, reading over a datapad. His brows furrowed in concentration, his mouth stiff and pressed, signaled deep anger. Whatever the prince read was not to his liking. Cossack sighed in relief, thanking himself once again that he wore his vest.

"Tell me, what have you heard?" the prince asked without looking up.

"My source on Aven has confirmed that Hazar is currently in negotiations with Arus." Cossack answered. Feeding too much information to Lotor all at once proved negative at times; the man was a damn hothead.

Lotor breathed hard to calm himself down. "What else was found?"

"The princess might concede to listen to the Allied Forces," Cossack replied. "Hazar has not spoken to the princess, but to her fiancé, Captain Kogane. It is he that is spearheading the negotiations."

"Fucking asshole!" Lotor shouted as he threw the datapad down on a table next to him. Standing up, he faced his second in command. "What do you know of Merla?"

"She's working very hard to keep the group together and united sire. I was told that if she's allowed an audience by Princess Allura, the chances of the Allied Forces joining the Alliance will no longer be a possibility, but a certainty."

"As if it isn't enough that they turn their back on us, they go off and join our enemy. They join…Terrans?" Lotor walked across the room to further calm himself.

Sighing again, Cossack braced himself for the worst part of the information. "My lord, there's more."

"What?" Lotor spat the word with such disgust and hatred as he turned to face the other drule. Cossack actually looked at the doors to see how far he was from them.

"If Aven reaches its goal and the queen secures a seat with the Alliance, the Allied Forces will authorize the release of their latest scientific advances, including those of Aven. The Garrison will have some idea of Drule scientific advances."

The prince laughed sarcastically, "This is one fucked up mess! Our own people turning against us; this is an outrage!"

"We also have reasons to believe that the Avenians hold advance artillery and creations that we do not have. My source tells me that there's a facility that only Merla knows of, which houses such advancements. We need to…."

"Shut up! _We _don't need to do anything. I, on the other hand, have to save the entire Drule Empire from fucking idiots!" Lotor shouted. "We need to rid ourselves of Merla fast," he stated as he began thinking.

He would never accept defeat, especially from a woman like Merla. She had been his first love, once upon a time, long ago. Then, a certain fair skinned angel with hair like the sun entered his life. Not that it mattered, neither returned the sentiment.

Merla's beauty unmatched any other Drule woman in the Empire, her intelligence, brought on embarrassment to some commanders. She outsmarted them all. Lotor thought that was probably the point he began to fall out of love with the woman. He could never stand a woman, any woman, outsmarting him. Not that any would, he sometimes told himself. _Damn that woman, what is she hiding?_

"Sire?"

The prince had lost himself in thought. Coming back to the present, he looked at Cossack, "Tell your source that I want to know everything about that facility. Do you understand? Everything!"

Cossack nodded and quickly left the room.

"Stupid whore," Lotor said as he mind went back to Merla. "If you think you're going to outdo me bitch…you will die at my hand, so Gods help me!"

Suddenly, his communicator beeped. Lotor rolled his eyes, "Father," he said to no one in particular. Zarkon had wanted to know everything about Aven and the Allied Forces. Lotor knew his father would find some excuse to put the blame on him should they fail to stop this alliance from happening. "I have to pay the damn price for my father's mistakes." The prince shook his head thinking that Zarkon should have spent less time being a tyrant and more time reassuring his empire of his strength and loyalty toward them. "You should have gotten rid of Merla the day you killed Raka."

Picking up his comm., he prepared himself for what would be his latest battle with dear daddy.

XXXXXXXXXX

Night came and darkness took over the planet, bringing the moon, the stars and the patrolling sessions around the planet. This time, Red Lion flew the skies protecting the planet and checking for intruders. After Lance completed his shift, he came through the chute in the dais, only to find Keith sitting down at the console researching information on the screen.

"Hey," Lance walked up to his friend with interest, "what are you doing here? I thought Hunk was taking over my shift after I was done."

"He is." Keith replied without taking off his gaze off the screen. "Should be in soon."

"What are you so engrossed in Cap?" he asked as he came closer.

"Allura decided to speak to the leader of the Allied Forces. I'm searching for any information we might need in order to write the treaty should things go well and she accepts an alliance with them."

Lance took a seat next to his friend, "You think she'll accept?"

"I hope so, Lance. I really do."

Sighing Lance shrugged, "Keith, don't get too excited man, Allura is not the easiest person to convince. Who's she going to speak to anyway?"

"A Queen Merla of Planet Aven."

At the mention of the name, Lance laughed. "Keith, another woman?"

Ignoring the comments of his friend, the captain continued, "Her father, King Raka, was one of the strongest monarchs the planet had in over a century. He was ruthless, but extremely smart. Apparently, he and Zarkon battled for control of the Drule Empire. He probably would have beaten him if he hadn't been assassinated by Zarkon during a diplomatic tour through the empire. After his death, his daughter took over as reigning monarch. Merla has handled all the affairs of the planet since then."

With a smirk on his face, Lance snorted, "You think she'll be able to work with Allura? Hell, you barely can!"

Rolling his eyes, Keith sighed in frustration, "Give her some credit Lieutenant, she's making a name for herself all over the Drule Empire and she's been able to hold off Zarkon and Lotor from taking over her planet as well…"

"Give her some credit? If there is anything that Allura hates more than Lotor is a Drule woman in power!" He laughed even more, "Give me some credit for pointing that out."

At Keith's silence, Lance withheld the joking and decided that if he wanted his friend on his good side, he'd shut up. "Ok, I'm done. Tell me, what are you planning on doing?"

"If we can work with Allura and convince her that aligning ourselves with the Allied Forces would benefit Arus, I'm hopeful she'll allow Merla to speak at the Summit.

"What about the other side?"

Keith turned to his friend, "What do you mean?"

"Have you thought if the other side is willing to trust Allura?" Lance's eyes widened with the question, "It's not like Allura has the best reputation in the galaxy Keith. She's stubborn, hard to get along with, and undeniably rude at times. You'll need to convince this Merla that she can trust our princess."

Nodding in agreement, the captain acknowledged his friend's statement.

"And for that matter," Lance continued. "How do you know these Allied Forces are playing fair?"

Keith looked at his friend with a firm gaze, "Hazar has confirmed the intentions of the Allied Forces." Pausing for a bit, he then continued speaking, "Lance, I trust Hazar. Besides, from what he's told me, her planet has been retaliating against Doom for years."

Shaking his head, Lance asked, "Hazar? You trust that guy?"

"Lance, he has never been anything but truthful to me since I met him." His tone became harder.

"You mean since you saved his blue ass," Lance snorted.

"He's a good man." Keith answered firmly, "He's never lied to me and has supplied great information for us to use against Doom whenever we've needed it."

Nodding, Lance sighed dubiously, "Well, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course," Keith replied, "Wouldn't you work to save the lives of millions of people who never asked for this war and have no vested interest in it? They shouldn't pay for Zarkon and Lotor's insanity."

"I agree my friend." Lance smiled. "And, I'm sorry for being a prick, how can I help?"

At this, Keith dropped his guard and softened his tone, "Just keep me sane my friend; just keep me sane throughout this whole ordeal."

Slapping his hand on Keith's back, Lance grinned, "Don't worry Keith, I'm not going anywhere."

VVVVVVVVVV

The Queen of Planet Aven, Merla, worked diligently in her office putting together her latest speech for the Allied Forces. The woman sighed in frustration; another speech to motivate her group to unite and stay strong against Zarkon and Lotor. It felt frustrating leading by herself. It took too much strength to keep these planets motivated and united for a cause so unbalanced that Merla, at times, thought it would be easier to walk on razor thin wires.

The Allied Forces wanted peace, but they were afraid of not achieving such a feat. Even more, they were afraid of the repercussions Zarkon or Lotor would bring them soon after.

Merla closed her eyes for a short time to let them rest. She had worked earlier with her assistant on her routine duties, now she worked on the speech she'd present later, hoping it would sound different from the others. If it sounded repetitive, the members of the Allied Forces would think of her as a charlatan bent on spitting out words of no value or depth. Repetition is this case would prove meaningless.

A knock on the door had her opening her yellow bright eyes, "Come in," she stated as she stood up.

The door slid open only to reveal Commander Hazar, her right hand man and second in command. He was a tall man, half-human, half-Drule. In his case, however, his mother was Drule duchess who had fallen in love with a male slave. She never married him. When her father discovered the dangerous attraction between the two, he had the slave beheaded. But by then it was too late, Hazar's mother had become pregnant. And, in honor of her lost love, she kept her child, raising him with the same values that made her fall in love with his father.

"Tell me you've brought me good news," Merla instructed him as she walked closer to Hazar. She needed good news; something to revamp the withered spirits of the Allied Forces and herself. She needed good news like a fish needed water to survive.

Hazar smiled.

Merla laughed and jumped into his arms. "You did it! You spoke to the princess!" she laughed.

He embraced her fearlessly. Hazar was always by her side; social events, meetings, and battle. He never left her. Many did not understand why their queen hadn't married the man who seemed smitten with her.

Both knew the rumors about the castle, but neither paid attention to them. Hazar found Merla to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her mother had come from a planet called Aerwyn; a planet far beyond the Denubian Galaxy.

It was said that Raka had crash landed his ship while on an expedition to another planet. He found Aerwyn to be a jungle full of exotic gigantic flowers. At first, he had thought he landed in an area full of forests bundled up one against another. But soon, the king found that the entire planet was one large forest full of the rarest of flowers and plant life.

Raka found even more interesting that only women inhabited the planet. They were the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes on. Their bodies were sculpted and chiseled to perfection, their skins were white and soft as cotton, their eyes yellow like the sun and their lustrous thick manes fell to their knees. All the women had hair colors that belong in crayon boxes; from the brightest yellows of a sun to the lightest whites of a pearl. From raven blacks to the fiery flames of reds. They were goddesses in their own heavens.

The planet had been untouched by any other life forms and Raka at first wanted nothing but to take as many women as he could to his home world. But something stopped him. Neither Hazar nor others who knew the story had any idea why he had left Aerwyn without a thought of returning. It was a mystery that Raka buried with him. The only thing that they knew was that he was allowed to take one woman with him. He took Siofra.

Hazar had seen pictures of her. Her hair as been blood red and her skin so white it almost looked angelic. Siofra's eyes were white grey, different from the others of her kind; her lips plump and inviting. Raka married her upon taking her from Aerwyn.

The pair lived almost fifteen years before Siofra conceived. Her kind didn't produce as easily as Raka had thought. That was another mystery in itself.

The woman from Aerwyn carried Merla full term, but childbirth had been too much for her. She died within moments of Merla's arrival. The death of his wife nearly killed Raka and he was never the same after that.

Merla, Hazar thought, was a combination of a hybrid Drule male and an entity so beautiful and so mysterious, it was beyond being named. She grew up to be not only extremely beautiful, but intelligent, courageous and spirited.

The queen stood at five feet seven inches, a body lean, tight, and sculptured to perfection, just like her mother's. She had inherited her father's reptilian yellow eyes. Her skin was a combination of both, instead of a deep purple, it was the lightest of blues with a soft glowing hue. Merla's hair always stood out. It was the richest of pinks, a combination of Sofria's angry red with Raka's snow white. It was thick, straight, and naturally glowing, reaching her upper thighs.

Hazar once thought he loved her. But upon studying his feeling for the queen the commander found that it wasn't the kind of love he thought. She was someone deeply special to him, a friend, a sister, but there wasn't that physical attraction that would entice him to make her his. He knew she felt the same way.

"I spoke to Arus," he nodded.

"What did the princess tell you?" Merla asked excitedly.

Hesitant, Hazar didn't answer at first. His behavior made the queen tilt her head in question. "What? Hazar, who did you speak to?"

"The leader of the Voltron Force."

Merla looked at him stunned, "Kogane? You've been talking to him for months! Hazar, you haven't done a thing!"

"Well, that's not necessarily true Merla." He stopped her, "Keith assured me that the Princess of Arus granted us an audience."

"When?"

"I'm confirming the date tomorrow with him," he answered her in a convincing tone.

"Hazar!" Merla shouted. "I have to go in front of my council members and tell them I have news…good news for them and I have nothing!"

Quiet for a moment, Hazar took Merla's hand and squeezed it affectionately, "Make the announcement that Arus will back us and the princess will allow us to speak at the Summit."

The queen looked at him incredulously, "Are you kidding me?" she let go of his hand.

"Merla, trust me," Hazar assured her, "Kogane won't let us down. He's adamant that he convinced Princess Allura to accept the Allied Forces as her ally and unite us with the Garrison."

"But…"

"Trust me," his eyes pleaded with her, "I know Kogane. He's honest and never backs away from his promises. He will come through for us."

Sighing, Merla shook her head, "I have no idea what I am doing Hazar. Pray that you are right, because if you're not, we will lose more than the Allied Forces…we will gain more enemies than we can even imagine."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay. I've been swamped. Chapter wasn't fully beta'd, so if you see something, let me know. Hugs to all! Enjoy! :)

Chapter 3-So It Goes

After looking over the proposal one last time with Lance, Keith walked over to his room and found Allura not there. He thought the princess would be asleep by now or at least waiting for him. "Allura?" He called out. Keith looked over at the clock on the nightstand. Two o'clock in the morning. "Where is she?"

Leaving the room, he walked over to her office. Punching in her access code to open the door, he found Allura at her desk reading over her data pad. "Kind of late to be working?" he asked her with a slight smile.

She smiled back, "I could say the same thing about you."

"What are you reading?" Keith asked as he walked closer to her desk.

"I was just looking over some information that Coran sent me for the Summit." Allura replied with a sigh, putting her data pad down. "I can't wait until this is over. Hopefully things will run well."

Keith walked around her desk; swiveled Allura's chair to face him and kneeled in front of her. Caressing her cheek with his finger, he told her, "Things are going to go fine Allura. I know so. And after the Summit is done and everything is in place, we can go on, plan our wedding, get married…maybe have some kids in between." He laughed affectionately as he kissed her sweetly.

Allura giggled in between his kiss, "You have it all planned, don't you?"

"Very much so," the captain answered looking deeply into her eyes.

"I love you." She kissed him again. "I can't imagine my life without you." Allura kissed him deeper in a lingering kiss that he almost groaned. "Let's take this somewhere more comfortable." She suggested rising from the chair and leading him out the room.

"I couldn't have thought of a better idea."

VVVVVVVVVV

The woman screamed as Lotor thrust against her. Without any disregard for her feelings, he thrust himself once again and groaned when he felt himself come inside her.

At times, the prince thought of doing his perverse acts to the claimer of his heart, Allura. But tonight, another woman occupied his thoughts. She wasn't human, but a half Drule, like him. Tonight, Lotor thought of Merla. Everything he did to his young slave was everything he wished he could do to the conniving traitor that rebelled against him.

The young woman cried and curled herself into a fetal position as soon as he let go of her. Ignoring her sobbing, Lotor rose from bed, put on his robe that sat in a nearby chair and walked toward his balcony. Opening the door, the prince began to ponder what had gotten into the woman's head to defy him and his father.

He had to admit that Merla not only had guts, but she was smart and very head strong. She proved to be a challenge for him, even for his father. The few times they tried to attack Aven, she successfully held them back. Her father had taught her well. Lotor admitted it with disdain.

God, he hated her. But, how he wished he could take that body of hers for his own personal pleasure. Just thinking about her made Lotor harden instantly. Allura was his dream, but Merla was an addicting fantasy.

"What is it with me and strong women?" Lotor whispered to himself. The prince sighed. As much as he wanted her, he would need to rid himself of Merla and soon. If she gained more power, he'd lose. A meeting earlier that afternoon had convinced him of it.

Walking back inside, he picked up his com unit from a nearby table and paged Cossack. "Yes, Sire."

"I need to know where the meeting between Aven and Arus takes place."

"Of course Highness,"

"And I need to speak to the source."

Cossack hesitated for a bit, "Of course." he answered uneasily.

Lotor paused for a moment, "Is there a problem Cossack?"

"No, no problem at all Your Highness." The commander answered before the prince turned off the comm. and placed it in the pocket of his robe.

Turning around, Lotor found the young woman in bed still crying. Probably unaware that he had entered the room, she continued weeping endlessly, a combinatory of humiliation and pain laced her sobs. The prince looked at her curiously, amazed by how much he had affected her. Lotor felt an arousal within him stir.

Smiling, he took off his robe and rejoined the woman in the bed. "Come now, don't cry." The prince told her as he lay in bed once again and leaned toward her. "Look at me." He ordered. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him, her nerves penetrating through her wet gaze.

Picking up a goblet full of wine from the nightstand next to his bed, Lotor ordered her to sit up and drink the entire content. When she finished, the woman continued to cry for she knew what the wine contained and what it would do to her.

Lotor wiped her tears away with his tongue and laughed, "You taste good. I want to try something else this time." He kissed her and put his body over hers. "Open your legs." She did as told. The woman already felt the effects of the wine on her; feeling hot all over, she began to breathe deeply.

"Do it!" She cried. Pain wreaked her body. She wanted nothing more than to quench the desire that stirred within her.

"No," he laughed. I'm going to make you suffer until I feel like relieving you. Lotor kissed her, played with her in ways that under normal circumstances would have embarrassed the young slave. He tormented the woman for more than an hour, laughing when her spasms increased.

She began to scream in pain, "Please! I need." When Lotor finally touched her regions he found her to be an ocean, that's when he knew he had her. He roughly opened her legs and slammed into her, thrusting as fast as he could. The woman screamed in both pain and pleasure.

"You can't come until I tell you, Merla!" He roughly whispered in her ear, his fantasy manifesting in the woman before him. He wanted her to suffer, to feel his power, his wrath. "I order you not to come. Suffer until I tell you, bitch!"

She did as ordered, obeying his orders until she felt she couldn't. "I beg of you, please. Oh my God! Please!"

The prince held her captive a bit longer. The woman felt the insides of her being torn apart, but all she wanted was release. Soon, she heard him groan loudly and spill his seed in her. "Now, come now!" he ordered and she did.

Wet all over, she screamed in both pain and pleasure. Then, it was over. The slave realized that there was more than his cum on her. She smelled blood, her blood.

Breathing heavily, Lotor told her, "I'll send someone to attend to you," He rose from bed, heading to a door that connected to his chambers. The prince would bathe and soon have another slave spend the night with him.

XXXXXXXX

Keith walked into the conference room praying that the meeting between Queen Merla and Allura would go well. He hoped the two women would reach an agreement, that Allura would be open to ideas and suggestions, and that she wouldn't make a spectacle of herself or embarrass him.

Soon after walking in, he connected with Aven. Hazar smiled at him upon appearing on the screen, "My friend. Thank you for making this happen for us."

Nodding, Keith answered, "No need to thank me Hazar, I believe that we are working together to save the lives of many innocent people."

As he finished speaking, Keith noticed another person come into view. Hazar looked away from the screen and smiled. "Great! You're here." Turning back to the viewscreen, the Drule commander said, "I finally have the two of you meet. Keith, this is her Royal Majesty Queen Merla of Planet Aven. Your Majesty, this is Commander Keith Kogane of the Voltron Force."

Even though outwardly, Keith showed no behavior, other than politeness, inside he felt himself stir. He had known some Drule women to be beautiful, but Merla was beyond beautiful. She was not only easy on the eyes, but so perfect, Keith caught himself staring a bit longer than he should.

"A pleasure to meet you Your Majesty." He replied composing himself.

"The pleasure is all mine Commander Kogane." She answered back, "I really would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the help you've provided us. I am hopeful that we'll be able to establish this alliance between Galaxy Garrison and the Rebel Forces." She gave him a kind smile. "I am looking forward to the beginning of this process."

Noting the absence of one member, Hazar suddenly asked, "Are you sure Princess Allura will meet with us?" He looked at the empty room Keith sat in.

"Of course I'll meet with you Commander." All heard a female voice as the person they waited for walked in the room. "I did agree to do this and I never go back on my word." Allura gave the group a cold nod before sitting down next to Keith.

"Hazar, Your Majesty, this is her Royal Highness Princess Allura of Arus." Keith introduced her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Allura." Merla began, "May I call you Allura?"

Hesitant at first, the princess conjured up a smirk before answering, "Of course…Merla."

The tension in the room suddenly rose. Allura made no attempt to make things easier and Merla noticed it. However, the queen would not allow herself to be diminished by her peer. "Thank you." She nodded, "Shall we proceed?"

"Yes," Keith interjected. "Why don't you begin Your Majesty."

"Thank you. As you know, the Crimson Quadrant holds eleven planets that make up the Drule Empire. When King Zarkon took over the empire, he instilled laws and committed atrocities that many other planets opposed. Some planets tried to go against him, but found that Zarkon had not only powerful armies to fight against them, but powerful allies as well."

"Who were the allies?" Allura asked. "Wasn't your father one of them at some point?"

"He was." Merla admitted. "My father served under Zarkon for many years, but upon seeing the injustice and the king's callous acts, he changed. My father wanted peace. It was he who created the Rebel Forces. It was he who tried desperately to destroy Zarkon's allies which included the remaining planets of the empire and planets from other quadrants."

Keith maintained his silence, but inside, he was in awe. He found the story very interesting. And even more, he found Merla grow even lovelier in his eyes.

The queen continued. "My father was killed at the hands of Zarkon when he became a threat to him. The king believed that the Rebel Forces would die with him, but he was wrong. I made sure of that."

"Officially, how large are the Rebel Forces?" Keith found himself asking, engrossed with Merla's tale.

"Out of the eleven planets, I have a back up of four excluding Aven."

"Which planets?" Allura questioned. Neither her tone nor cold stare changed even after listening to Merla's story.

"Aside from Aven, there's Rondax, Mora, Bravada, and Senak."

"The smaller planets." Allura sighed in frustration.

"They may be small princess, but they have strong armies. You also might find this interesting…most of the Drule technology you have fought against come from these small planets." The queen retorted coolly. Allura stared back defiantly. She didn't like the queen's tone.

Noting that sparks would soon ignite if the two leaders continued their taunting, Keith and Hazar looked at each other. The captain took the opportunity to intervene, "Your Majesty, are you sure that these planets are willing to accept working with the Alliance?"

"I'm positive commander." Merla nodded. "They will do whatever you ask of them as long as the Garrison or Voltron do not invade and destroy."

"What we are asking," Hazar suddenly chimed in, "is that you allow us the opportunity to show you a treaty outlining our agreement and what we are willing to offer for the chance to ally ourselves to you."

"Commander Hazar," Allura laughed a bit, "What can you possibly offer us?"

"Do not underestimate us Allura." Merla cut in, "You may have Voltron, but the Rebel Forces has technology unbeknownst to Zarkon and yourself that can make your pussy cats cringe."

At this, Allura threw Merla a defiant stare, "You have technology that can destroy Voltron?"

"We have technology that can aid Voltron." Merla corrected, "And, we are willing to share if you are willing to listen. Give us that opportunity."

Turning to the princess, Keith whispered. "Give them a chance Allura, we have nothing to lose. If they are telling the truth and they possess technology that can jeopardize us, then we should learn more."

Nodding in agreement, the princess answered, "We'll listen. The moons of Gannath."

Both Drules gave her a questionable look. The princess then explained herself, "The moons of Gannath are considered neutral territory. There is a base that we can use to…talk. Meet us there two days from now."

"Thank you." Merla nodded relieved.

"We'll meet at fourteen hundred hours Arus time, but only you and your commander. No one else."

"I will expect the same from you." Merla answered her.

"Agreed." Allura told her. "We'll see each other in two days. Looking forward to it...Merla." The princess said before she stood up and walked out the door.

Surprised and embarrassed, Keith sighed, "My apologies. It has taken me a long time to get her to even agree to speak with you."

"That's fine my friend." Hazar sympathized, "Thank you for taking us this far."

"I guess this meeting is over." Merla sighed. "Thank you again Commander Kogane." She smiled.

"Pleasure was all mine, Your Majesty." Keith looked at her. He was mesmerized by her beauty, but also guilt stricken. He didn't understand why this woman brought such interest to his soul, especially when he knew his heart beat for another. Still, he couldn't stop himself from repeating the words, "Pleasure was all mine."

XXXXXXXXXX

Keith walked into the control room where Coran and the rest of the Voltron Force waited for briefing.

"How did it go?" Hunk asked as his commander sat on one of the chairs by the console. "Oh." He answered. From the look on Keith's face, Hunk shook his head. "Guess it didn't go as planned, huh?"

"We are to meet with Hazar and the queen two days from now at the moons of Gannath." Keith began.

"That is what you were looking for, wasn't it Captain?" Coran asked wryly.

Nodding, he answered, "Yes, but…"

"But what?" Lance then asked.

"Nothing." Keith shook his head. "Nothing. The plan goes as follows; Allura and I will meet with them as scheduled. You'll be short two lions…."

"No they won't." Allura chimed in as she walked in the room. "We're not taking the lions."

At this, Keith stood up and faced her, "What are you talking about?"

"We shouldn't take them, the risk is too big and I'm not about to hand them my lions." Allura replied matter-of-factly.

Sighing, Keith took a deep breath before answering, "That's not a very wise decision Allura. We'll be unguarded."

"He's right Allura." Darrell volunteered. "What if you're attacked? Taking the lions is just safer."

"Allura" Lance stated, "You really should reconsider."

"Nonsense." She shook her head defiantly. "Gannath is neutral territory. We'll be safe. Besides, if they have the technology, they say they do, why would I put the lions in harm's way?"

"Are you serious?" Keith argued, "Do you really believe they would attack us with their technology? They would have done so already. What is your reasoning for this Allura?"

Ignoring his questions, Allura shrugged, "It's either this or we don't go."

Keith's eyes widened with rage, "What the hell has gotten into you? We agreed we'd meet them."

"And I did!" she yelled back, "But I'll be dammed if I won't do it my way."

"You've gone out of your mind Allura!" Keith laughed sarcastically, "What do you suppose we take?"

"Any one of our fighters will do." She responded with a sly smile, "I'm sure Darrell can do some enhancements to better protect us. Besides, we won't be out there that long."

About to argue, Lance walked over to Keith, "It's not worth fighting her." he whispered, "You won't win."

"You are with her on this?" Keith turned and looked at his friend with disbelief.

"No, but…let's choose our fights wisely." Lance smoothly told him, "You're letting your feelings take over…remember?".

Nodding, Keith responded, "Darrell."

"Yes, Cap?"

"You and Hunk, work on enhancing the weaponry in one of our fighters."

"Will do." The young man responded as he and Hunk walked out.

Turning to Allura, Keith responded, "Anything else, I should know about?"

"Yes," she defiantly responded, "I want Lance to fly us there."

"What?" Lance suddenly said.

"He'll save us time and we'll have an extra man around should we need him."

"Allura, you yourself asked for only the Queen and Hazar to go. We're being…"

"What?"

"Deceptive." Keith angrily barked out. "Incredibly deceptive."

Walking closer to her lover, Allura smiled, "You believe anything you want Keith. But I'm doing this to protect you, me and Arus." Her smile faded, "I will do whatever I need to do to protect us, even if you don't see it." Turning around, she stormed out of the room.

Sighing roughly in frustration, Keith walked out without looking at either Coran or Lance.

"Well…" Lance began. "That went well."

Coran sighed deeply. "God help us."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-A Change of Plans

Garrath, one of the moons of Gannath, was the meeting place that Keith and Hazar decided on after the initial conversation between the princesses. The moons of Gannath were comprised of three large moons Ganna, Thalmas, and Garrath.

Out of the three, Garrath had the capabilities to sustain life forms. The oxygen levels made it ideal for the Garrison to construct small dome like bases that were used to hold meetings between planets. The area was a neutral territory where both allies and adversaries could meet to discuss their issues safely and without worry of an attack. As they landed near one of the white dome-like bases, Keith turned to his co-pilot, "Lance, do not move or try anything. I don't want them knowing you're in here." He told him as he looked around to see if the Avenian ship had finally landed.

Lance snorted, "Don't worry, I'll make myself invisible...will just chill here until you're done with your pow wow session." He smiled at his friend before he whispered, "Make sure Allura doesn't get too…_Allura_ for all of you."

Keith laughed a bit. "I'll try to control her." He whispered back.

Moments later and without knowledge of what the two had spoken, the princess entered the cockpit. "Are we ready?"

"Yep." Lance answered as he stood up from his seat, "You should establish connections. I'll make myself scarce while you do that." He stood up from his chair and exited the cockpit to remain out of sight.

After he left, the princess took a deep breath to relax, "Ok, I'm really doing this." She nodded trying to convince herself. "I'm really going to do this."

"You're doing the right thing, Allura." Keith assured her. The princess turned around and smiled nervously before she kissed him gently on his lips. Smiling back, he answered, "I love you."

"So do I." she told him. "Keith, I'm doing this for you. You need to know that."

"I know love, thank you for making this happen."

Allura gave him a slight smile before giving him a curt nod, "Alright, let's do this."

"Okay, let's go." Keith answered as he linked connections. Soon Hazar appeared on the screen, "Greetings Captain, we're about to land our ship in about ten minutes."

"We've landed of the southwestern corner bay of the base." Keith added. "Take the north bay. The other two have been closed for upgrades."

"Will do, Keith. See you soon."

The white dome like structure had four landing areas surrounding it. Usually a skeleton crew operated the base, but since it was being remodeled it was currently empty and closed for operations. The princess requested the Garrison access to it for a few hours stating that the purpose was to conduct a request for the Summit. General Graham had immediately approved it for her. Allura was rarely denied anything from the Garrison.

Within a few moments, Keith watched the Avenian ship land. He cautiously turned to Allura, "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." She answered standing up and heading toward the exit door where Lance stood watching them approach.

"I'll be waiting for your return." He smiled trying, as always, to joke with them. "Bring me something neat, daddy!" He told Keith as he passed him.

"Shut up asshole." Keith told him.

"That's where your problem lies Keith, you're too serious."

"And you're a cocky son of a bitch." The captain snapped back.

"Aren't I always?" Lance questioned with a shrug, "That's why I'll out live you."

Allura rolled her eyes. "Just behave Lance."

The couple exited the ship and walked toward the base. Keith keyed in the code to enter. The four would meet in the large conference room of the building. As they walked to the room, Allura looked distant, as if in thought. "Are you ok?" He asked taking her hand within his.

She nodded, squeezing his hand, "I'm fine. Just want to get this over with, you know."

"Things will work out, I promise." Keith tried to maintain his positivity. He did hope things would go well, but with Allura it was always touch and go. What Allura didn't like, he was sure she'd put an end to it. He prayed things would go well.

They reached the conference room and Keith opened the doors letting Allura walk in first. She took a seat at the head of the square conference table. It wouldn't have been Keith's choice to do so, but he let it go. He needed her to listen, telling her to move would just damper further her mood. He took his seat next to her. Moments later, both Merla and Hazar walked in.

Upon seeing the queen, the captain stood up. If she was beautiful via vidscreen, then she was breathtaking in person. Keith couldn't stop looking at her. Merla had walked in with such grace, such pride, but also a humble touch. A classy lady nonetheless. She held her pink hair up in a bun, thereby showing the regal features of her perfect face. The black Avenian uniform allowed Keith to see her small waist, curving hips and perfect flat abs.

Her slight reptilian eyes turned to him and she smiled mildly before noticing where Allura sat. Merla sighed inwardly, but ignored the meaning behind it. "Thank you for meeting with us Princess Allura."

Allura nodded and smiled slightly, "I think we should get started."

"I agree." Merla took her seat across from her on the side. "Hazar," She called him, "Show them the treaty for consideration."

About to withdraw the datapad from a side pocket in his attire, Hazar was suddenly cut off by a rumbling sound. "What's going on?" he looked around.

Allura looked around as well nervous, "Keith?"

The captain ran out of the room to check. His comm. unit began immediately beeping as he walked outside. "Lance, what's that noise."

"You won't believe this shit." Lance's voice boomed, "Can you look outside?"

Keith ran toward the nearest viewing window. What he saw outside had his heart pounding and his eyes widening. "Shit! Prepare for take-off. Kogane out." Running back to the conference room he yelled, "Doom fighters."

Allura turned around and looked at Merla wickedly, "Is this some kind of trick? This is your idea of peace?"

"No!" Merla shouted back, "I had no idea." She looked back at the captain whose look was just a blanket of seriousness. She couldn't tell what he thought.

"We need to get out of here." Keith suddenly said taking Allura's hand. "Now!" Turning to Hazar, he stated, "Go, Hazar!"

Nodding, the Drule took Merla by the hand, "Let's go Your Majesty!"

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith and Allura quickly ran out of the compound to their ship. Without looking back, the princess shouted, "This is what you wanted? Can this finally convince you that these people are dangerous?"

Not wanting to argue with her, he focused on getting her back to the ship. "Keep running Allura. We need to get back to our ship before Lotor ambushes us!" He shouted as shots began to come down among them.

Keith and Allura continued running and dodging the shots that came from the sky as they ran to the landing bay of their ship. Getting close, Keith turned to see how far Hazar and Merla were from their ship. He suddenly watched as Drule soldiers parachuted from the sky and began attacking them. Turning back toward his ship, he watched as Lance opened the doors and shouted at them to run faster. After more dodging laser blasts, Keith yelled as Allura ran in, "We need to help them!"

"The hell with them! Lance, get us out of here." The princess seethed back.

"Allura!" Lance answered looking at her. "We can't leave-"

"No! We leave now!" she shouted. "Keith get in!"

Entering the ship to avoid any blasts, Keith turned to see where the others were. Both Hazar and Merla were still by the compound. Unable to get back to their ships, they were blocked by Drule soldiers. "Allura, we have to help them!" Keith turned to the princess.

"Forget it!" she shouted back. Her eyes wicked with hatred.

Looking back at the stranded people by the base, Keith made his decision, "Damn it!" the captain yelled back as he jumped out of the ship and ran back to the compound.

"Keith!" Lance yelled. "Get the hell back here!"

More fire, more blasts.

Watching Keith head toward what she knew was a massacre, Allura turned to the man next to her, "Lance, get us out of here!" She closed the doors of the ship taking Lance by surprise.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Inside the compound, Keith ran toward the northern area of the landing bay thinking of how he could help Merla and Hazar. There were no weapons he could use to help the queen and the commander from gaining access to their ship. As Keith continued running, he suddenly stopped and looked at the eastern area landing bay. It was currently being remodeled and some of the construction machines sat around the area. Quickly, Keith ran to the door that accessed the eastern landing bay.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Both Merla and Hazar fired at the soldiers that blocked their ship. Taking refuge near by the walls of the dome, they both watched the Arusian ship lift off as it fired at some Drule fighters below them. The ship circled around the compound for a few minutes before finally taking off and away from view.

"So much for their help." Merla shouted. "Got any ideas of how we get out of this?"

Hazar continued fighting. "Not yet!" The pair began losing distance from the Drule who kept gaining ground on them.

"Shit!" Merla yelled. "They are gaining access!"

Hazar tried to think of a way out, but he couldn't find one. He saw no way of gaining access to their ship. Suddenly, he heard the strange sound of a machine. The Drule commander turned to where the sound came from and found a large dozer going toward the Drules. The soldiers began firing at it, but Keith accelerated the machine running over some of them while others ran away.

Quickly getting off, Keith yelled as he met with them, "Get to the ship now!"

Merla and Hazar ran toward their ship as fire began raining from the sky. "Lotor!" Merla yelled out as she watched the prince jump out of a nearby fighter.

"Keep running!" Hazar yelled gaining a shorter distance to his ship.

"You can make it faster than me. Get to the ship, fast!" Merla responded as Hazar took the lead.

"Go Hazar, I'll stay with the queen."

Drule soldiers began regrouping. Dodging more blasts, Keith tried to cover Merla with his own body as they kept running. "Stay close!"

"I thought you left." She stated as they kept running.

"Saw you needed help." He answered, "How about we talk about this later, like when they are not trying to kill us."

"Got it!"

Seconds past like minutes and the queen then heard Keith order,"Keep running and do not look back."

"What are…"

"Just do it!" he forcefully ordered. "Now. Run!"

Leaving him behind, the queen ran. She watched her ship come closer to view, when suddenly she was blocked. She felt a slap on her face before falling to the ground.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

As Merla ran toward her ship, she was intercepted by Lotor who slapped her hard enough for her to hit the ground. "Foolish bitch! You thought you could get away with this act of treason against the Drule Empire."

"Zarkon never taught you manners, did he?" Merla shouted out as she wiped some blood from her lips.

"He taught me not to allow bitches like you to live for too long." Lotor responded taking out his blaster. "Luckily I learned that lesson I learned quickly."

Xxxxxxx

Running straight to the cockpit, Hazar immediately switched on the ship and turned the viewscreen on. He watched as Keith and Merla ran toward the ship, seeing the Drule soldiers gain distance to them, Hazar watched Keith turn around and start shooting as Merla continued running, but suddenly, out of nowhere, Lotor appeared. He hit Merla and she fell on the ground. Hazar immediately pulled on the steering controls to get to them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shooting down the Drules coming toward him, Keith then turned and ran toward the queen just as Lotor had slapped her. Seeing him take out his blaster made Keith push himself harder; with all his strength he ran faster and tackled the prince to the floor as the shot blasted through the air.

Keith then punched Lotor in the face, but the prince wasted no time to hit him back. As the two men continued fighting a huge explosion stopped them.

"The compound!" Merla yelled. "It's coming down!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

With another punch to Lotor, Keith stood up, grabbed Merla by the hand and took off. The two ran to the ship as they both continued blasting at the remaining soldiers who now ran away from the debris that exploded around them. Other soldiers went to save the Prince who attempted to get up from the ground.

Seeing that Merla and Keith were heading his way, Hazar brought the ship closer to them. As Keith and Merla ran toward it, another soldier blasted at them. "Don't they ever quit?" Merla shouted.

"I guess not. We're almost-"It was then that Merla saw Keith fall.

"Captain!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Watching as the Avenian ship came closer, Lotor saw that the two were getting away. Taking the blaster that had fallen close to him, he aimed, pointed and shot at his most hated adversary. Keith went down. Lotor ran toward them.

XXXXXXXXX

"Captain!" she tried shaking him. Keith murmured as he tried to rise, but he was sluggish. Looking up, she watched as Lotor ran toward them with two soldier by his side. "Foolish woman, you thought escape would come easy!"

"Get the hell away from me!" Merla shouted as Lotor tried grabbing her.

"You and I have unfinished business Merla." Lotor continued as he grabbed her by her arm. "Then again, maybe my father didn't teach me too well. I might just want to have a little fun with you first."

Dragging her off, Lotor was surprised when Merla's ship moved and began firing at the soldiers around them. The prince took the queen and began running toward his ship that had landed just a few hundred feet away. "Let me go!" Merla yelled, trying to get away.

"Let her go!"

Turning the Lotor saw Keith coming at him. The captain fired his blaster, hitting the prince on the shoulder. Lotor went down. Immediately, running toward him, Merla grabbed Keith's hand. "We need to go!"

Nodding, Keith ran with her. Soon, the pair arrived at the ship. Both went in as the doors closed automatically. Hazar ran up to them. "Come on, we're blasting off and I need the two of you strapped in."

Walking over to the captain, Hazar suddenly looked at him, "Keith?"

Keith looked at him blankly before he plummeted on the floor. Hazar caught him and turned him around.

Merla checked him over, "Let's get out of here! I'll take care of him."

Hazar gently put him down on the floor and then ran back to the controls to quickly take off. The queen checked on the captain and found a small blast wound to his back. "You must have been working on adrenaline." She whispered. She checked his pulse and found it normal, for a human. She sighed, grateful that he seemed alright.

Hazar came back a long while after. She found Merla still on the floor, the captain's head resting on her lap, "We've seen to have lost them. It's on automatic pilot. How is he?"

"They neutralized him." She answered. "He'll be out for a while. He's damn lucky Lotor or whoever shot him set their blaster to stun."

"Maybe we should take him back to Arus?" Hazar recommended but Merla immediately shook her head.

"No." Merla shook her head, "She left him." the queen sighed. "She left him there knowing what could have happened to him."

"Merla, we don't know that." Hazzar warned.

"Hazar, he helped us. Saved us! I'm not about to leave him…not yet. I want to know more. Besides, our treaty….we need to convince them that this wasn't our fault. Somehow, Lotor found out. If we don't form an alliance with Garrison and soon, then we won't only have to worry about them, we'll have Lotor on our backs as well."

"What are you thinking?"

"I need to convince the captain of our motives."

"Merla?" Hazar didn't like where the queen was going.

"Set a course for Aven. Kogane is coming with us."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Dangerous Liaisons

The ship flew around Garrath looking over the destruction occured hours earlier. The compound, still on fire from the earlier explosion, left a black fog that limited the view from above. Allura couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks as Lance kept sighing in frustration, thoroughly concentrated on locating the person he searched for. As they scanned the area to see if they could pick up a life signal, Hunk suddenly came over on the view screen, "Any sign of him?"

Lance shook his head worried, "No."

"What the hell happened?" Darrell suddenly stood next to Hunk in front of the vidscreen.

"He went to help Merla and Hazar." Lance began, "We lost track of him when he went inside the compound and couldn't stay grounded because of the incoming fire from Lotor's attack."

"But…"

"This ship wouldn't have taken it!" Lance cut Darrell off, his voice rising from frustration. Then, as if become aware of his irritation and the fact that it wouldn't solve anything, he lowered it, "When I was finally able to land…we couldn't find him."

"Lance, you should have landed sooner." Hunk sighed, his face becoming a mask of worry and concern.

"To what Hunk?" Lance challenged, "There was fire everywhere." He shook his head aggravated as well. "I'll try calling him again."

"You don't think…." Allura continued crying. "You think he was still inside the compound when…"

"Don't Allura, I'm sure he's okay." Lance comforted her. "We'll keep searching for him. Picking up his comm. unit, Lance began his search, Keith….come in Keith…..

XXXXXXXXXX

At the bridge, Hazar continued flying toward Aven. Seeing that he wouldn't encounter anymore Doom resistance, he turned on the autopilot once again and walked over to see how the commander was doing. He found Merla still on the floor as she looked over the commander who rested on her lap.

"How is he?" Hazar asked as he kneeled in front of her.

The queen sighed looking down on the commander, "He's still out." Turning to look at Hazar, Merla asked, "How long until we arrive in Aven?"

"About three hours." he answered, "Are his vitals normal?"

Merla shrugged, "I don't know. What's normal for a human?" She studied him further as her gaze fell back to Keith. His color seemed normal and his breathing was steady. "He looks okay." She couldn't help to notice his long black lashes, thick eyebrows and perfect profile.

Clearing his throat as he noticed the queen gazing at the commander, Hazar responded, "We'll keep an eye out on him. I'm sure he was only stung, but I don't like him being out this long."

A worried look crossed the queen's face, "You think he's not well?"

"No, not at all Merla," He tried not worrying her, "It's just that humans are…weaker than us when it comes to Doom stun blasters. We'll need to check on him from time to time. I'm sure he'll be up soon."

Merla's gaze fell over on the commander as she sighed. She hoped he would wake up soon. So much depended on his well being… Keith didn't realize just how much depended on him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lotor woke up and found himself in the private room of the ship that transported him back to Doom. Sitting up slowly, he found that his wound had been cleaned and bandaged. Still, his shoulder ached; he felt angrier than he had ever been. He failed in his prime objective of going over to Garreth. This was not going to play out well.

Sighing heavily, he thought of what he could do to undo what was already done. He didn't get rid of Merla as he should have. Not only that, but he was sure that the bitch had the Commander of the Voltron Force with her. The Queen of Aven had the advantage. He could not allow her to have it for too long.

Lotor rose from bed and slowly began to dress. Once done, he walked over to the bridge of his ship. Surprised to see him, Cossack immediately walked out to him, "Sire, what are you doing out of bed, you should be resting."

"How long until we reach Doom?" Lotor asked ignoring Cossack.

"About two hours." Cossack responded as the Prince of Doom walked passed him.

Nodding, Lotor sat on his command chair, thinking. He had to think of an explanation, a reason for his failure, because once discovered, he'd pay immensely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once they landed on Arus, Allura ran out of the ship looking at no one in particular. Coran noticed the redness in her eyes, the puffiness around them before she passed by him entering the castle without a word to anyone. The advisor then turned and watched Lance walk out looking solemn and frustrated. Coran thought the worst.

"You didn't find him?" He asked as the younger man walked up to him.

Lance shook his head in regret, "Nothing. There was no sign of him. Merla must have gotten out as well, her ship was missing too."

"Lotor," The older man closed his eyes for a moment, praying that the commander would not die at the hands of Lotor's wrath. Unable to tell Lance any comforting words, he sighed, "I'll go check on the princess."

"Don't bother Coran. She's been inconsolable. I was able to calm her down a bit, but she just needs time. Losing Keith has hit her hard."

"I'm sorry son." Coran told Lance. "I know he's family to you."

"My best friend." Lance nodded trying to control his emotions. "But he'll be alright. I know so." The old man nodded in agreement before turning and heading back to the castle.

Alone, now with Hunk and Darrell, the bigger man asked, "What do we do now?"

"We wait." Lance answered seriously.

"Until?" Darrell inquired.

Lance nodded, "We wait until the bastard contacts us."

"You think he will?" The youngest of the team asked again.

"Oh yeah." He nodded again, "He will."

XXXXXXXXXX

A number of Merla's maids came to her aid as she walked out of her ship. As customary when a royal came back from a meeting, or a battle, the maids tried to attend to their every need. The queen found the practice ridiculous and hated the attention. She, however, decided long ago not to fight certain Avenian traditions. At the end, changing traditions would confuse her staff and probably dampen their spirits. Avenians lived tradition. She longed to break them.

"Please, please. I'm fine and I don't need anything." She stopped the five maids from mobbing over her. "Someone else needs help. though." She turned and the women watched as Hazar brought down Keith carefully in a fireman's carry. He still hadn't regain consciousness.

"Get me Doctor Arazaz, Now!" Hazar ordered them.

Some of the woman ran back inside, while two stayed and followed Hazar inside the castle as he took Keith in. Merla, however, walked toward her room. She needed a bath, a change of clothes, and time to think. When the commander finally came to, she'd need to convince him that she still needed his help. Without him, the Rebel Forces wouldn't stand a chance with Galaxy Garrison.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura walked around her room nervously. She thought about Keith. What he would be going through now that Lotor had him. What would Lotor do to him? How hurt would he be? Lance hadn't found any traces of him on Gannath. At least she knew he was still alive. He wouldn't have been taken if he would have been killed.

Tears ran down her face as she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she wiped her tears away as she watched the door open. Seeing Coran walk, Allura's emotions burst and she ran to him. The older man wrapped his arms around her, hugging the princess fiercely, "I can't lose him!"

"You won't." Coran sympathized. "You won't. We'll find him."

Coran knew she came on strong at times, but Allura loved Keith more than anything. If he died, she would as well. The Advisor couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let his adopted daughter suffer at another lost loved one. "Darrell communicated with me on the way to your room. Lance is trying to contact spies at Doom to locate him."

"She lied to us. She…" Allura cried remembering Merla, "She tricked us into this so called peace Coran."

He didn't respond. At this point, he didn't know what to think. But, Allura paid no attention and continued. "I will not let them win Coran, I will end her and all of her kind and if Keith dies because of her…so help me Gods, I will crush her with my bare hands!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The Drule doctor looked over the patient in his treatment room as Hazar stood aside watching him. "Is he ok? A stun blast shouldn't put him out this long."

"This isn't a regular stun blast from what I can see Hazar." The doctor stated looking over his patient's pupils. "This stun blast was laced with a narcotic, not sure which. The blood work should come out soon."

"How do you know?"

Looking at Hazar, Doctor Araraz answered, "His pupils, they are almost non-existent. Typical reaction to a Drule narcotic on a human. I also checked the actual wound on his back, it's not a burn one is accustomed to finding in a stun wound."

Walking closer to the doctor, Hazar responded, "What do you mean?"

Looking straight at the Drulian commander, the doctor answered, "I'm not sure why Lotor laced his blasters with narcotics, maybe to keep his captives out longer? On a Drule, the subject would have been out for probably about an hour or so." he shrugged.

_Merla_, Hazar thought. _That's how he planned on taking Merla._ "How long is he going to be out?"

"Honestly Hazar, I have no idea. I'm sure he'll wake up soon. He's been out for quite a while."

"About five hours so far." Hazar sighed.

The burly Drule physician, began turning off his equipment as he continued his conversation with the commander. "I've taken a small sample of the skin that was exposed to the blast; I'll analyze the narcotic and let you know soon what it is. I assure you, he's in no danger or harm, his temperature, pressure and heartbeat are normal, by human standards anyway. It's just a sleep narcotic. I don't think it's anything beyond that."

Smiling a bit, Hazar answered, "Thank you doctor. I'll have him transferred to a room. Hopefully, he will wake soon."

Nodding, doctor walked out with Hazar finding Merla's maids standing in the waiting room. The commander went to one in particular. She had long straight black hair that reached her mid back and yellow reptilian eyes. By Drule standards, she was a lovely woman, "Iliena, I'll have one of the guards transfer Captain Kogane out of the medical wing. The queen considers him an esteemed guest; make sure he is treated as one."

The Drule woman nodded and with a smile answered, "Do not worry Commander, I'll take care of everything."

XXXXXXXXXX

Lotor was being checked over by his personal physician once he returned to Doom. He thought about the mess he made earlier on the base. His father had not been happy with what had happened. Merla was still alive when she shouldn't have been. His plans were breaking down quickly and if he didn't get a grasp on them soon, he would lose more than control. He'd lose everything he'd tried gaining over the years. He couldn't let that happen.

"Ouch! Watch it!" he yelled at the doctor who was bandaging him.

"You're lucky. It's a side shoulder wound, right under the clavicle. It hit the muscle. If it would have gone anywhere above…."

"Save it!" Lotor silenced him. He wasn't in the mood for conversations. The doctor was right. If Kogane would have hit him just a bit higher the prince would have been in a worse predicament than where he was now.

After some time, the doctor finished bandaging the prince, "Make sure you give the shoulder the rest it needs. I rather you not fight or do anything too strenuous for the next two to three days."

"I won't." Lotor simply answered, to deep in thought to say anything else.

Damn Kogane! He hated the man in every way he could think of. But now he needed him and Merla had him. He couldn't let her live, he couldn't let neither of them live.

XXXXXXXXXX

Giggling, that's what he thought he heard at first, a lot of giggling coming from female voices….

"He is rather interesting for a human…." One voice said.

"I wonder where the Queen found him…." Another voice stated.

_There're two?_ He thought. Keith tried to pry his eyes open. They felt so heavy; it was even hard to move.

"I've never known the queen to do this…it's about time." Keith heard a third voice.

_Three_. He felt a movement around him and then the first voice he had heard said something in his ear, "Open your eyes slave, I know you want to."

_Slave?_ Keith, with all his strength, pushed his eye lids open. Looking around he saw three women staring back at him, three drule women. _Where the hell am I?_

The woman next to him smiled, "You are a very fine specimen. I'm sure my queen will enjoy you greatly."

As some of the fogginess began slipping away, Keith's eyes widened. He tried to rise, but found himself tied to the bed he apparently lied in. Then he noticed something worse…he was also completely naked. "Release me!" he seethed. "Get the hell away from me."

The women laughed. Another came up to the woman who whispered in his ear, "Iliena, don't make him angry. We need him to relax to make this work."

"What work?" Keith looked at both women.

"We need you to relax." The one called Iliena told him, "The more you relax, the better you'll feel when she takes you."

"The fuck she will!" Keith fought, "I demand you release me now."

All three laughed again. "Ladies," Iliena called and the other two immediately reacted to her command. One took a glass that sat on a table while the other grabbed Keith's head and held it tightly.

"What the—"

Iliena smiled at him. "Now."

The woman holding his head tightened her grasp while Iliena pinched his nose long enough for him not to breathe. Keith knew what was going to happen, especially now in his weakened state. After holding his breath for a while, he had no other option than to open his mouth to allow air to enter his lungs. That's when the woman holding the glass dropped the liquid in his mouth and Iliena immediately closed it. He had no choice but to swallow.

The women laughed and let him go. Iliena stood from the bed and grabbed a towel from the table where the goblet sat. She came back to Keith and cleaned his face and chest. "You should relax slave. I guarantee you'll experience a feeling beyond what you've ever known."

XXXXXXXXXX

After preparing the Captain, Iliena walked to her room. She was tired from a full day of work. She let out a deep sigh and stretched before jumping on her bed to lie down. Aside from being one of the royal attendants, Iliena was also the personal assistant to the queen. She made sure to have all of Merla's affairs in order, take care of the work schedules of the Queen's personal staff, and put together Merla's agenda.

This day, she found herself doing these tasks plus she had to prepare the queen's room and her night prize. She found the human to be rather enticing and handsome. Although, Iliena never understood why the queen preferred anything that was Terran.

Thinking of the slave in the queen's chambers made her think of her own love. _Oh, how I've missed you. _She thought. He was a sweet man who took care of her no matter where he was. He was also attentive and truthfully the best lover she had ever experienced. She counted the days when she would see him again. Iliena hoped it would be soon.

A bleep from her vidscreen brought her back to reality. Waking over to her sofa, she sat down, trying to sigh the tiredness away. The woman began to run over in her mind what hasn't been completed hoping it wasn't anything major. She pressed the button and gleamed when she looked at the person on the screen, "Cossack, my love!"

The drule smiled back at her, "I wanted to see that beautiful face of yours."

Laughing, Iliena felt her heart thumping so hard, she thought it would pop out of her chest, "I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon. You said that…"

"I know, love, I know." Cossack nodded as he interrupted her. "You've done so much for me and well…I've missed you."

"So have I." he eyes began to well up in tears.

"Iliena, we'll be together soon, I promise. I can't wait to take you away from Aven and bring you to Doom. I can't wait to begin our lives together."

"Me either." The woman replied. "But, Cossack, I don't understand…why can't we do this now? I'm not bound to Merla, I can leave whenever I want."

The Drule shook his head, "It's not as easy as you think. You are from Aven, a rival planet of Doom Iliena, you wouldn't be welcomed here. The prince would never accept you…unless, you prove yourself to him."

"And that's what I'm doing now!" she argued.

"Of course," Cossack smiled. "I have to you what he has said about you?"

Nodding, Iliena smiled, "Yes, you said he seemed very pleased with the information I gave him."

"He was more than pleased, he was…impressed." Cossack lied. He hated lying to her, but it was the only way to keep her doing Lotor's deeds.

Iliena's eyes widened with disbelief, "Impressed?"

"Your loyalty to the Doom Empire impressed him. Iliena, you are the key to the success of the Empire. What you are doing will maintain the preservation of the Drule civilization…its culture, its power." Cossack beamed. "I guarantee you once this is over, you'll be welcomed with open arms. I'll have the savior of the Doom Empire as my wife." He finished proudly.

Iliena beamed with happiness. She didn't know that what she had done was that important to Doom and its prince. What they didn't know was that she hadn't done it for power or fame, she had done it for Cossack and for the love she had for him. "I'm doing this all for you."

"Which makes me fall in love even more deeply with you." Cossack replied. "But…I need another favor love. Can you help us?"

"I am at your service Cossack. I'll do whatever you want."

"This one is a bit hard love." The Drule began, "It requires some technical aspects. I'm sending you the directions right now." He told her as she received a message through her email screen. "Pass them through the encryption device that I gave you. If you have any questions, just call me on the private line."

"When do you want this done?" Iliena asked as she passed the message through the encryption machine and began reading,

"Tonight."

A look of concern entered her, "Love, I don't even know if that's a possibility. I have to check who is on duty, when the changing of the guard takes place…."

"Iliena, I know this one is a challenge, but it has to be done tonight. If you can't…" His tone began to change.

"No," Iliena immediately cut him, "It will be done. I won't fail."

Smiling Cossack nodded, "I knew you wouldn't let me down. Meet me at our usual place, three days from now. I can't wait to see you."

Iliena smiled reached her ears, "I'll be there. I love you."

"And I my dear love you…more than you'll ever know." He answered before he cut their communication.

XXXXXXXXXX

Once he concluded his conversation with Iliena, Cossack walked to Lotor's chambers to brief him on their current project. He found the prince resting comfortably in his bed, a human woman by his side slept peacefully. _Drugged_, he thought. He never understood Lotor's attraction to human females. They were weak, self conscious, and hard to mate with. The female humans were always crying, always afraid, always have something stuck up their asses, he thought. _What Lotor sees in them, I'll never know._

Either way, he ignored the woman and looked over at the prince. "I've spoken to Iliena, she will proceed with her next mission tonight."

Nodding the prince replied "You think she'll be able to do this right?"

"She's never failed before. She's smart. I have confidence in her." Cossack concluded.

"Good. When will you meet with her? I need her to help me start the next phase of our plan since I couldn't get Merla…this time."

"Three days time. I'll ask her for the codes then. I'm sure she won't have them, but she'll look for them after our meeting." Cossack responded, "What shall we do till then?"

Rising from bed, Lotor walked over to his closet naked and grabbed a robe putting it on, "Damage control. We need to act faster. I want you there as soon as possible."

Cossack nodded.

"I need to speak to Merla before Iliena acts." Walking back to Cossack as he tied his robe, he stated, "Come on Cossack. I have a few things to settle with the Queen of Aven."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-The Unexptected

After a long a long bath, Merla sat on a chair by her vanity and brushed her hair. The queen's bathroom was a room of its own, separated from her room, but connected by a private hallway. Her entire chambers consisted of two floors. The first, a master bedroom with a living room area and a large balcony overlooking a waterfall and pond; she enjoyed the sounds of nature and made sure to live around it as much as she could. The balcony had a circular marble stairwell that led to her private garden. Only she and Hazar had access to it. The garden's waterfall and large pond that served as the center piece of the area. Merla's garden was filled with natural trees and flowers only found on Aven.

In order to maintain life around her heavenly solace, her scientists created a special type of artificial light that simulated sunlight during the day and moonlight during the evening complete with stars. The waterfall served as a way to bring in water and hydrate the plant life. The garden was equipped to live despite it being contained inside her castle. Merla's room was her sanctuary, her place of peace, a place where troubles dissolved with the sounds of the waterfall and the gentle simulated winds passing through the garden.

As she continued brushing her hair, she wondered why there hadn't been any communication from Arus at all. _Haven't they wondered what had occurred to Kogane?_ Deep in thought, she was startled by a beeping from her comm. link.

"Merla," She heard a familiar voice call out her name.

Picking it up immediately, she answered, "What's going on? Is Captain Kogane alright?"

Hazar answered her immediately, "He's fine. Still out cold I'm afraid, but the doctor said he should be alright. I left orders to Iliena to attend to him. But, I need you at control, someone needs to speak to you."

"Allura," she sighed. "I was wondering why she hadn't contacted us. To think she could have been worried…

"It's not her Merla." She heard him say. "It's Lotor."

Angry, the queen snorted, "What does he want?"

"Apparently, Captain Kogane."

XXXXXXXXXX

Merla walked into her control room with a defiant look in her eyes. "What do you want?" she asked staring vehemently at Lotor in the view screen.

The prince smiled, a glee sparkled in his eyes at seeing her anger, "My dear, I just wanted to apologize for our encounter on Garreth. I don't think things went as we planned."

"Do not humor me with your bullshit Lotor." Merla replied with disdain, "Now, once again, what is it that you want?"

"Simple. I have an interest in a certain person from Arus you have. I'm willing to take him off your hands…maybe we can come to an agreement between Doom and Aven through this small…trade."

"Really?" Merla raised her eyebrow, a sarcastic smile formed on her lips. "And who may this person from Arus be? And as far as I know, I've never known you or your father to have any desire to have any peace between our planets. Why is this simple human so important to you?"

"You know very well why, Merla. Whoever holds Kogane possesses the power to control the Summit. Don't you think I know the game you're playing with Kogane?" Pausing for a bit and feeling angered when Merla didn't reply or second his statement, the prince then added, "Give me Kogane." Lotor's smile fell from his face. "If you do, consider the hand off a small gift to Doom for some of the travesties you've caused."

"Travesties?" Merla laughed, "Aven has done nothing than to save your ass more times than we can count. You're just angry because now we fight for us and for a peace that should have come ages ago. Lotor, I don't have Captain Kogane and even if I did, I would never hand him off to you."

"My patience is running thin with you woman. I demand you hand him over!"

"Then, I suggest you collect him back on Arus because that's where you'll find him!" Merla spat back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had a long day and seeing that you were about to kill me, I'm pretty tired."

"You're lying Merla!"

The queen cut him off, "And your time is over Lotor! Stay away from me, damn it, and stay the hell away from Aven." With that Merla slammed her hand on a button in the console and disconnected from the Prince of Doom.

XXXXXXXXXX

Cossack noticed the anger radiating from the prince's eyes. If Lotor could kill just by looking at his victims, the queen's demise wouldn't have taken very long. He was so angry; Cossack didn't say a word at first.

"She's lying. She has to be." Lotor shook his head with frustration. "Even if he did leave Aven…no." he shook his head, "I'm sure I shot him with the tranquilizer. There is no way that he could have flown back on his own to Arus…not with that narcotic."

Seeing a safe entry into the conversation, Cossack then added, "Iliena told me that they brought in a human male earlier in the day. She believed that the queen finally decided to put together a harem for herself and that this was her first subject. I didn't tell her anything, other than to continue her surveillance on them."

Nodding, the prince calmed a bit before looking back at his first commander. Kogane was there, he was sure of it. Now, he had to think of a way to take him away from them. He couldn't allow Merla to ruin his plans. "Is she ready for her next mission?"

"Yes, she'll work through the night to get it done for us."

"Good. That human she spoke of is Kogane." The prince paused thinking. "Cossack, I need those coordinates to bypass Aven's protection shield. Make sure that you and Iliena do not fail me on this." Lotor replied as he spoke to Cossack.

"We'll get them Lotor, I promised." The commander nodded.

"We can't fail Cossack." Lotor answered with a venomous tone. "I cannot let her win!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking out of the control room, Merla tried sighing away the tension she felt on her neck. The discussion with Lotor had been less than pleasant. _Damn this war!_ She thought. Lotor knew or at least suspected she had the Captain of the Voltron Force, this was not in her favor. Even though, she needed Kogane as her back up to second her appeal to the summit, Lotor also needed him as a bargaining chip in case the queen's appeal would be accepted by the Alliance. _Now, I wonder, how long can I stall Lotor?_

She continued her walk toward her rooms, her mind jumping from problem to problem. It had been a long night. She knew Lotor would find a way to attack Aven and retrieve Kogane. Luckily, they were safe. The planet had a force field that prevented any foreign ships from gaining access to the planet, but even with the extra protection, the queen worried; Lotor wouldn't let that stop him. He'd find a way, Merla had to act quickly.

_All I need to do is to convince the captain to stop Allura from declaring war to the neutral planets._ _If I can convince him that we are really against Lotor, then he'll convince the Alliance to work with us._ Unfortunately, no one would believe Keith Kogane would willingly work with Aven or even protect the queen for the matter. Merla was sure that Allura had already made an announcement that the Drules had taken Keith. She also knew that Allura would use such tales of the 'kidnapping' as a way to make her and other Drules seem less humane.

For years Merla maintained her planet away from the mess Lotor and Zarkon created. She wanted no part of it, nothing. All she wanted was peace. She wanted to rule in absolute peace, for her and her people. Now, if Kogane didn't help her, all her actions would be in vain. _If only that were my only problem_, she sighed again.

Aven had more power than it let others believe. The planet possessed the brightest and most intelligent Drule scientists the galaxy had ever known. Even more, she had the most advanced technology in the galaxy. In the past, she had shared this technology with other Drules, mostly Doom and its allies, but soon she found that instead of using the technology to help their civilization, their race, they used it to kill and conquer other worlds. It was horrible to watch the evolution of some Drules. They went from caring beings to animals waiting to devour their prey. She couldn't and wouldn't accept such amoral acts. Doom was an embarrassing representation of what Drules truly were; a sophisticated, talented, and intelligent race.

The queen decided to stop aiding such pathetic attempts of power. She hid her most advanced discoveries and kept them from destroying others. She also knew that if she gave it all away, they would use it against her in time. She was lucky that her scientists believed the same. _Then what! No planet, no kingdom._ She didn't know why some Drules hated Earth and other civilizations that formed families and lived freely. Drules only wanted war, destruction, and death. It was time to act.

For a very long time Merla put up appearances with worlds outside the Crimson quadrant. They thought of her as cold, calculating, evil. She wasn't any of those things. There was another part of the queen no one knew. A part that just wanted to…._Shut up! _She told herself as she shook her head.

Sighing in frustration, Merla walked over to her rooms and opened the doors. She heard the waterfall from her balcony and the sound already started to sooth her. Soon her eyes drifted to another area of her room. She gasped. In her bed, tied to the headboard, laid the Captain of the Voltron Force gagged and naked. He appeared drugged and incredibly angry.

Immediately, she looked away and took out her comm. "Iliena, what is the meaning of this? I didn't ask for the captain to be put in my rooms!"

The voice on the comm. was calm, "I figured you might want to take some pleasure in him My Queen."

She turned to look at the captain whose face showed even more anger by the second, "You figured wrong! Take him back to his room and for God sakes, dress him!"

"As you wish, your Majesty." The voice said before the communication ceased.

Merla walked back to him and focused just on his face, "I'm sorry about this Captain, this wasn't my intention."

He looked at her, his eyes glassy probably from whatever was given to him; she could tell he was fighting to stay awake amidst the anger. Merla saw his eyes filled with fury, he was livid. He tried to speak despite the cloth that covered his mouth. He was shouting muffled words she couldn't understand, but it didn't stop him from trying to communicate with her.

"Please Captain, please calm down." She told him. Keith stopped shouting, but remained staring at her with eyes so red with anger, she momentarily looked away. "We'll be taking you back to your room. No harm will come to you, I promise." She fretted.

When the queen turned back to him, she noticed how he was losing the fight to stay awake. He tried to speak again, but no words came out. Moments later, he had passed out. When he bobbed his head foreword, his long black hair, covered his face. Waiting on Iliena, Merla pondered a bit before she came closer to the bed. She sat down next to him, and brushed his hair back to study the Captain's face. She smiled. _He's…beautiful._ She thought to herself. His features are almost angelic.

In her studies, the queen read on Terran culture, mythology, and spiritual beings; she was fascinated by their interpretation of Gods. She had also read on the spiritual beings called angels. They were described as the most beautiful creatures that lived in the heavens. _The Captain looks like one_, she thought. Merla couldn't help herself and began to gaze further down.

His body was that of the Gods from those mythology books she devoured reading at night when she was a young curious girl. He was tall, well over 6'3 in height, brawny with sculpted muscles that were so defined she could trace the paths along his body. The captain was pure lean muscle. He was definitely a fighting machine and Merla began to think how enticing it would be to take a ride on him.

Immediately she stood up and walk away from him shaking her head, _no; this isn't what I need him for!_ She reminded herself. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Quickly, she ran toward it as if running to safety. "What took you so long? I want him out this minute!" she barked, "And dress him. I don't want him waking up naked thinking something different!"

"Yes, your Majesty," Iliena quickly answered as she walked in with an entourage of servants with her. "I'm sorry, I thought this was what you wanted."

"You thought wrong Iliena!" Merla blasted her, "Did you drug him with the wine?"

The woman nodded with a slight hesitation, as if she didn't want to reveal her action. The queen closed her eyes trying to calm herself, "Great! What the hell is he going to think now?"

"What do you mean my Queen?" Iliena curiously inquired.

"Just get to work Iliena." Merla walked away from the group.

Seeing she wouldn't get an answer, Iliena and her group began working. Soon, the Captain was dressed in long black pajamas and a matching long sleeve shirt. Moments later, they left. To male servants carried him out of the room.

Finally alone, Merla walked over to her bed and laid down. His scent still lingered on her sheets; an intoxicating, exotic, and spicy smell with hints of citrus, maybe sandalwood. She inhaled. It smelled good.

VVVVVVVVVV

Hunk walked in to the control room in the early hours of the morning hoping to some news regarding Keith's disappearance. He found Lance in control working so diligently that he didn't even notice the bigger man walk in.

"Anything?"

Lance shook his head as he continued looking at the screen, "No. I haven't heard from Lotor."

Sitting in the chair next to him, Hunk sighed, "This is just weird Lance. Don't you think Lotor would have contacted us by now? What about Merla? Don't you think there's a possibility that she might have taken him as well?"

"I don't know Hunk." Lance shook his head as he looked at his friend, "I've tried contacting Aven for hours and I've had no luck. Lotor hasn't contacted us either…Allura is all over the place, I don't know what the hell else to do."

"Something's not right." The big man continued as he suddenly became pensive. "One of them has him, but why won't they demand what they want?"

Lance looked at him with a peaked interest, "What are you thinking?"

"I just don't want to think that their purpose isn't a ransom or a demand from us. I hate to think that there is no purpose other than to bring Keith back to us in a body bag."

Lance didn't answer him. He went back to the screen and continued trying to find answers. Hunk took no offense. Obviously, this was one option Lance would not partake into thinking. "Maybe it's time to take a proactive approach." Lance finally said as he stood up from his chair.

"Where are you going?" Hunk suddenly asked.

"I need to see Allura."

"Now?"

Lance nodded, "Now."

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith woke up the next morning and found himself in a very comfortable bed wrapped around the silkiest of black sheets. His head rested on the softest and smoothest pillow he had ever felt. As a matter of fact, he had experienced the best sleep he had had possibly in years. Uninterrupted and dreamless. He felt rested.

He stretched out between the sheets lost in comfort, until his mind and memories caught up to him and he suddenly remembered the events that took place before blackness took over him. He snapped right up and began looking around, his eyes wild taking in his surroundings.

"Welcome back my friend. I hope you are feeling rested." He heard the voice of Hazar. Keith turned to see his Drule friend sitting on a chair located at the far end of the room. He had missed that spot during his wild surveillance. "Keith, are you feeling alright?"

"What the hell did she do to me?" The commander snapped with anger.

Hazar immediately stood up and walked over, his eyes showed a mixture of concern and apology, as he studied the captain closer discerning whether he was lucid or still under the effects of the drugs he was administered the day before. "Keith, nothing happened."

"The hell it didn't, I remember THAT part pretty clearly!"

Hazar determined that he was lucid and extremely angry. The Drule shook his head, "I promise you nothing happened." He reassured the commander, "As soon as Merla found out what her maids had done, she immediately ordered for you to be dressed and sent to these quarters."

"Her maids?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

Hazar sighed, "As you probably are aware, part of the Drule culture includes royals and dignitaries having harems to entertain their…desires. Merla is one of the few royals in our world that doesn't have one. When the maids saw you come in, seeing that you were human, they believed the queen had changed her mind and you were her first… trophy." He finished with a little laugh.

"Not funny Hazar."

"No, of course not," he shook his head before he burst out laughing.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Asshole."

Composing himself the Drule commander looked over to his human friend, "Keith, the queen is completely embarrassed by what occurred and she's anxious to apologize for the incident." Hazar replied. "I'll leave you for now. You'll find clothes in the closet and everything else you'll need to refresh in the bathroom."

"What happened to Allura?" Keith asked concerned.

"She's safe and was able to escape." He never mentioned how she left him behind. Something Hazar knew they would have to discuss at some point. "We haven't been able to contact Arus. Our satellite systems went down last night and we've been unsuccessful in trying to bring them back up. I would have given you your comm. unit, but it was destroyed during the attack."

A perplexed expression grew into Keith's semblance, "Has that ever happened before? Your entire communication system?"

Hazar shook his head, concern tracing his features, "No. Never. Our engineers are looking into it, I'm sure we'll have some answers by then."

Quiet for a moment, another thought entered Keith's mind, "Hazar, how did Lotor find us?"

"That's another mystery, my friend. I have not idea. I guess we have another topic of conversation that the queen would like us to discuss together."

"We should do that right away." Keith immediately rose from bed only to find himself attacked by a dizzy spell. Hazar went to him.

"You need to take it easy. What the maids gave you last night must have mixed with whatever Lotor gave you."

Bewildered, Keith asked. "What do you mean? What the hell did Lotor give me?"

"When he shot you during the attack, the stun was laced with a narcotic strong enough to put down any human or Drule. Our head physician is running some tests and we'll get answers soon. For now, why don't you get dressed, we'll discuss everything during breakfast."

"What the hell is Lotor trying to do Hazar?" Keith asked as he slowly walked over to the closet and began retrieving some clothes.

"I don't know, Keith. But we need to find out…and fast."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lotor walked into his control room ready to face Arus as they demanded to speak to him. He was sure Kogane was on Aven with Merla, but he soon found out that Arus did not know this. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage and maybe buy him time to put his plan together.

"Your Highness," one of his soldiers came up to him, "We have Arus on the line. They are ready to speak to you."

The prince smiled, "And so they shall. Put them through."

Within minutes, Lotor saw the concerned and angered demeanor of the Voltron Force looking back at him. His attention then fell on the one he loved, her eyes blazed with fire, "Allura, seems to me that every time I see you, your beauty ignites me more and more."

"Fuck off." Was her abrupt response to him, "Where's Keith?"

"Right now…unconscious in a cell, beaten mercilessly. Where else would he be?" The prince lied with a sly tone. Allura's eyes widened with shock. _Oh, she was wonderful,_ he thought as he watched her from the vidscreen.

"You bastard!" Allura's pitch in her voice increased. "Give him back to me!"

Lance then stepped in as Allura began to sob, "What the hell are you planning Lotor? What is it that you want? Allura?"

"So typical of me to answer yes to that question, right McClain?" The prince laughed. "I won't give you that pleasure. I'll have Allura…in time, am I right my love?"

The princess looked away.

"Fuck you!" Lance shouted back in disgust. "You'll never have her."

"I'm not going to even bother answering you. But I will tell you what I want. I want you to stop these ridiculous negotiations with Aven and the rest of Merla's allies. Cease negotiations or I'll have Kogane killed immediately."

Coran stared at the screen with anger. About to answer, Allura beat him to it, "We'll do whatever you ask, just bring us Keith back."

"Not before I show him what the Drules are capable of. He believes us to be a peaceful race. Let's see what he thinks after I get through with him. Do not try coming for him, I don't have him at the castle, your attempts will be futile." Lotor finished before cutting communication with them.

After Lotor left, Allura turned around. "I want no communication with Merla or any other Drule for that matter."

"Allura," Coran began.

"No!" she shook her head, "No one. I mean it. Lance…"

"I'm on it." He answered knowing what she wanted, "I'll get source at Doom willing to find where they might have him."

Nodding, she continued, "Darrell, Hunk…prepare the lions; as soon as Lance finds some information, we're going to get Keith back."

The two immediately responded to her orders and left control determined to equip the lions with whatever was necessary for their rescue mission to Doom. Looking around, Coran walked up to Allura, "Are you sure you are not acting too rashly? Allura, something seems…off."

"Coran, that bastard has Keith, I will not wait around…he could kill him." She told him with a harsh tone. "I won't let this happened. I will not let him kill Keith, he's the most important person in my life. I can't let him die."

Lance listened to the conversation both the princess and Coran had behind him. Closing his eyes, he hoped everything would turn out as planned.


	7. Chapter 7

Special thanks to my editors. T & M. Girls, thank you for helping me on this chapter. Thank you, thank you, thank you. :)

Chapter 7-Ghost in the Machine

Dressed in the attire provided, Keith walked out of his room to find Hazar waiting for him in the hallway. "We'll be having breakfast in Merla's garden," the Drule informed him as he escorted the captain to the dining area. While they walked, Keith marveled at the beauty of Merla's palace. Rather impressed with the queen's home and Aven for that matter, the captain couldn't contain his expression of awe.

His experiences on planets from the Crimson Quadrant during his studies in the Garrison had not fared well. Most planets had nothing but darkness surrounding them; no sun or very little of it decorated the day. Many had barren regions, desolate landscapes and deserted areas uninhabited by Drules. Aven looked nothing like its sister planets. The sun shone with an unnatural brightness that seemed magical. Surprisingly, Keith found that it didn't bother his eyes. He wondered what he would find outside the walls of the castle.

The Castle of Lions closed itself from nature. Keith understood why; attacks, safety, protocol, all reasons as to why it sealed itself from the outside world. But the castle where he now walked had many open areas where light filtered inside. He felt the cool morning breezes lazily pass by him, the sound of water and rays of sunlight lighting his destination.

His eyes fell on the thick pillars that held the structure. Their material looked familiar, but he couldn't quite identify it. Keith studied the unfamiliar yellow speckled stone, touching the material and studying it with curiosity. He smiled. _Just like a Greek castle, he humored inwardly._ A realization hit him; the castle looked like a temple straight from the Greek tales.

Turning to Hazar, the Drule answered him before he even attempted to ask the question, "Ammonitic limestone. It's what you Terrans used to build some of your Roman and Greek structures. The queen's fascinated with Terran Greek history. As a child, she spent hours reading Greek history and mythology instead of studying Drule history."

"What did her father think?" Keith asked. He knew Drule culture mandated children to know their beliefs and customs at ridiculously early ages.

"Let's just say her father was not pleased," Hazar laughed a bit.

Turning his attention back to the castle, Keith asked, "Did the castle always look like this?"

"No," the commander shook his head. "After the king died, Merla tore down the old castle and rebuilt this one. Our people did not take the decision too kindly. The original structure had lived through the ages. Our people considered it a symbol of power, despite the war that occurred during the king's fight with Zarkon. I guess people still wanted to feel the royal line had control even though the king met his demise."

"They felt a loss of stability," Keith reasoned. "A planet at war…a fallen king. It's understandable. What happened afterward?"

Hazar smiled, "Once construction finished, the people's wonderment took a life of its own. Mesmerized, they not only felt power surge back within them, but also hope. From that moment on, they followed Merla without question. You should see it from the outside. No one has built anything like it in this galaxy."

"I'm sure," Keith nodded. He didn't think that the limestone would last on the other planets. "Greek architecture was undoubtedly one of the most interesting forms of architecture on Earth. Some of the structures like the Parthenon and Coliseum have survived for centuries."

"That's what Merla says," Hazar nodded appreciatively. "Are you a fanatic as well?" he joked.

Keith smiled, "Kind of." As they kept walking, another question came to the captain's mind, "Hazar, how do you keep the castle open? I mean, with attacks and…"

"Ah yes, the castle is protected by an invisible dome that surrounds not only the structure but about three hundred miles from each angle. If an attack occurs, evacuation routes are available in every city. Citizens can take refuge in safe houses we've built by the edge of the dome's limits."

"How about those who live farther out?"

"Underground bunkers are accessible through tunnels on every street. We transport our people by trains back to the bunkers."

Stunned, Keith asked, "Like subways?"

"Huh?" Hazar looked back to him perplexed. "I'm not sure what those are, Keith."

"Let's just say that the queen didn't waste time reading up on Terran culture." He replied, amazed by their creation of escape routes. They continued walking in silence for a moment before another question came to mind, "What do you mean if?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"If," Keith repeated, "you are attacked?"

"Oh!" Hazar laughed a bit, "Attacks have always been possible of course, but Aven is protected by a shield that surrounds the planet. You need access codes to enter the atmosphere safely. If one enters without the codes, the ship runs the risk of being vaporized by the energy from the shields."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Keith asked, completely stunned by what he had heard. "Hazar, that's impossible to do."

"Nothing is impossible, Keith." The Drule replied with a spark in his eyes.

"How did you do this?"

Hazar shrugged, "How about I let Merla answer that for you."

They walked a little longer and came to a hallway that lead to a dead end. Keith looked at Hazar, "There's nothing here."

"What's that saying you told me once…looks can be deceiving?" He responded with a smile as he placed his hand on the wall. The wall suddenly split apart to reveal something that Keith did not expect: a garden. Filled with flowers of every color, the landscape welcomed him with what seemed natural sunlight and more cool breezes. Instead of cement, dark, rich, green grass filled the entire area they walked on. But a most impressive site amazed the captain when he turned and looked at the waterfall that dropped into a pool of water surrounded by flowers, pine trees and other plants he did not recognize but were equally as beautiful. "It's the Garden of Eden," he replied with wonder.

"What?"

"Nothing." Keith shook his head ruefully, "This is incredible."

Amazed by the captain's own amusement, Hazar stated, "Merla wanted to have breakfast in her personal garden."

"There are more like these?" Keith suddenly asked astounded it.

"Not quite. Perhaps, I'll give you a tour of the grounds later today," Hazar answered with a smirk. "This is the queen's personal garden, yes. See those stairs?" He pointed to the circular stairwell that led to a balcony. "Those lead to her rooms. Only she and I have access to this area of the castle."

A sudden feeling of disappointment entered the captain. Hazar had access to the queen's chambers. The two were together. Keith didn't understand why the newfound knowledge bothered him.

Unaware of the captain's impressions, Hazar continued, "We weren't sure if you would like some of our dishes, so we prepared Terran delicacies, just in case." He continued showing Keith the area as he guided him to a round table dressed with elegant utensils, fine china and crystal glassware.

Another table contained a platter of pastries, fruits and a small warming tray with a clear lid that contained what looked like scrambled eggs. Hazar walked over to the table containing the food and began serving himself. "Please, Keith. Come." The captain followed his friend and also began serving himself as Hazar finished, "We hope you enjoy it."

"Thank you," Keith replied, "But just so you know Hazar, I do enjoy Drule delicacies as well."

The Drule laughed, "Very well, perhaps we'll have some today at dinner."

"Good morning, gentlemen." The two suddenly heard the voice of a woman. Both Keith and Hazar looked up to see Merla descending from the staircase. She wore a voluminous, scooped neck, white dress with open sleeves and silver button accents. The queen continued descending the stairs then walked toward them. Keith watched the queen closely, appreciating the view he had of her. The dress had slits that opened along the sides, all the way to her thighs. Her perfectly shaped legs glistened as she walked. A thin sliver cord wrapped around her waist and dangling down the length of her gown, allowed him to enjoy the view of her small waist.

Pink curls of hair fell with ease down her shoulders, past perfectly shaped breasts. Keith appreciated the woman's beauty. Something deep within him stirred. He recognized these feelings, yet they felt foreign to him. He hadn't felt like this in a very long time.

Merla smiled at the two, "Please go ahead. Don't stop serving yourselves on account of me."

"Actually, I was serving you first," Hazar smiled as he finished placing some fruit on the plate and walked to the table. He slid out a chair and invited Merla to take a seat before he placed the plate in front of her. "Would you like some juice?"

"Yes. Salak. Please." She answered placing her napkin on her lap.

Keith finished serving himself and wasted no time sitting across from her. Her face was lovely, exotic. Her eyes, slightly reptilian in shape, seemed magical, as if she hid a treasure that only few had the privilege to discover. Yet, he also found shame staring back at him.

"Captain," she began, lowering her gaze a little, "we have a lot to talk about, but before we do, I'd like to apologize for the events of the night before. I do not want you to have the wrong impression of me or the reason why you are here."

Her tone, filled with command and strength, impressed the captain, yet he also noticed humility. He wanted to trust this woman, but still found it hard to do so. "That's alright, your Majesty." He added, "Hazar explained everything to me. Please, I'm not angry."

Merla smiled a bit uneasily, "Oh, thank you," she suddenly answered, looking a Hazar, who poured her glass of a reddish liquid.

"Keith, would you like some?" he asked the captain, "It's called Salak, a fruit we grow on Aven. It's quite tasty."

Nodding, the captain answered, "Sure, thank you."

Once everyone settled, Merla began to speak, "Thank you for coming to our aid yesterday. If it wouldn't have been for you…"

"I'd like to know how Lotor found out of our meeting place," Keith interrupted. "Forgive me, your Majesty; it's just strange that Lotor knew of our meeting location."

"I can understand your suspicions, but I assure you, we had no part in this. Hazar and I were just as surprised as you." Merla continued.

Turning to Hazar, Keith looked at the Drule with a concerned expression, "Someone must have tipped him off. Are you sure that Allura is safe?"

Nodding, he answered, "I am sure my friend, no harm came to her."

Sighing, Keith shrugged, "As long as she's safe." Merla could tell that he probably had the same thought she had had the night before. Allura had abandoned him with no explanation as to why. He didn't comment on the subject and neither did she, at least not at that moment as he asked, "Have the communication systems returned online?"

Merla shook her head, "No. The interface systems are completely destroyed. Very strange, but not something that wouldn't happen. Our engineers are telling me it will take some time to get back online."

Keith looked worried for a moment, "My team will think the worst has happened."

"Do not worry, my friend. As soon as they are back online, I will immediately let you know so you can contact them." Hazar replied as he polished off his helping of eggs.

"How about taking me back to Arus?" Keith suddenly asked them.

"That would be the best choice, unfortunately, I can't allow that." Merla calmly responded.

Keith stopped eating and looked at the queen with a challenging stare, "And why the hell not?"

"We believe that our communication system going offline was not something…accidental. Lotor could be behind all this. He suspects you are here and wants us to turn you over to him," Hazar answered, trying to calm his friend.

Merla added, "With no communication system available, we will not be able to connect with our control center. He cannot come in to Aven due to the shields, so he'll be waiting for us outside the planet hoping that we'll take the chance and return you to Arus. "

"We'd be flying blind." The Drule commander added, "I simply cannot put us or my officers in danger."

Sighing and nodding, Keith replied, "You're right Hazar. I guess I have no choice other than to wait."

Hazar put his hand on his shoulder, "But, you can make yourself useful in the time that you're with us."

"How do you suppose?" the captain asked curiously.

"Captain," Merla chimed in, "I'd like for you to meet some of the members from the Allied Forces. Perhaps, we can convince you of our wish to work with Arus and the Garrison for peace."

Keith looked back at her a bit hesitant, "When would I meet them?"

"Tonight." Merla responded immediately. "We have a dinner at the castle every third month for updates and designing strategies for our cause."

Hazar continued, "We hope that if you meet the other members, you'll see how serious we are and how anxious they are for the signing of this treaty."

"I'll be glad to meet with them," Keith nodded in agreement, "But, would you mind if I take a look at your communication systems?"

Merla looked at him questionably, "Not at all, but why?"

He met the queen's gaze with determination. Firmly, he replied, "I'm interested in knowing what could have made them go offline so suddenly. We need to find out how Lotor managed to do this."

VVVVVVVVVV

Iliena, still asleep when she heard her special communicator vibrating, sat up in a whirl of confusion. She always kept it under her pillow, knowing it was the only way she'd feel it should she be asleep when Cossack called her. But after staying up half the night implanting the virus to the communication system, she had barely slept.

Before connecting to Cossack, she quickly jumped out of bed and looked herself over in her dresser mirror. She checked herself quickly, brushed her hair and tried to wipe away any signs of sleep. After that, she opened communication, "Cossack, I wasn't expecting to speak to you today."

The Drule smiled, "I wanted to make sure you succeeded with our plan."

"Yes, my love." She nodded tiredly, "Systems are down, and I doubt anyone will be able to tell that I tampered with it."

"Good," he nodded, "Like always, I couldn't be more proud."

The woman smiled brightly, "Thank you, my love. I can't wait to see you again."

"You may just get your wish," Cossack put in, "I need the security code to enter my dear, I can't wait any longer. I want to see you tonight."

She sat up in her bed, "What? Are you serious?" Iliena couldn't have been more excited.

Nodding Cossack responded, "Yes, we must begin the second part of our plan. My love, that human that Merla brought in last night…Lotor wants him. He's more valuable to us than to Aven. I need to bring him back with me."

"Who is he, Cossack?" Iliena asked with curiosity.

"He's the Captain of the Voltron Force," Cossack told her. "He is the one who can destroy the entire Empire. We must eliminate him."

Nodding, Iliena's features became hard and defined, "I'll help you. The Empire will not die by his hands."

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura walked into the control room finding Lance at the helm. Watching over the vidscreen in complete concentration, he looked over some of the blueprints from Castle Doom.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked.

"No," he answered seriously, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Has Lotor contacted us again?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Do you think he really has him?" Allura's voice grew concerned as she sat beside him.

Lance turned to face her. Frustration possessed him and at that moment she knew his anger would ignite with any provocation, "He wouldn't gloat if he didn't have him." He turned back and once again resumed watching the vidscreen without a word to her.

"Don't be angry with me," Allura said after moments of silence filtered around the room.

Sighing, Lance didn't say a word to her for several minutes. Then he finally turned, "When are you going to realize, Allura that…"

She snapped back, "I don't want to hear it." She stood up and started for the door then paused,. "All I want to hear is that you found where Keith is, that's all I want to hear," Allura told him before she stormed out of the room.

Alone again, Lance shook his head and let out a breath of frustration, "Stupid, stubborn bitch!"

VVVVVVVVVV

Walking in to Lotor's room, Cossack found the prince standing by a full length mirror as he finished dressing. "Did you contact your….connection?" he smirked, proudly looking himself over.

Nodding, Cossack answered, "I've contacted Iliena as you told me. She expects me tonight."

"Good. Gather as much information as you can Cossack, but most importantly, I need you to get the entry codes. Without them, I'll never be able to enter Aven's atmosphere with my armada."

"As soon as I get them, I will contact you, Sire," the commander answered as he began walking out of the room.

"And Cossack…." Lotor turned to look at his officer.

"Yes," Cossack faced the prince.

"After we no longer have use for Iliena, dispose of her."

Cossack's eyes widened a bit with shock, "I was hoping to bring her back here, your Highness. She's done everything we've asked and I feel she's an asset to us."

Lotor laughed heartedly, "An asset? She's a traitor to her queen, what makes you think that if the opportunity arises, she won't betray us?"

"I don't believe she would."

"Your beliefs are overrated. Get rid of her when the time is right. Am I clear?"

Rage inwardly entered Cossack, but on the exterior coolness looked back at Lotor, "It will be done, Sire."

Turning around to face the mirror, Lotor smiled, "I'm not as cold as you think Cossack, just careful. And so you know I'm not the bastard that you make me to be, I'll give you any of the women of my harem. Besides, human females are much better in bed than Drule women. They are much more submissive."

Nodding uneasily, the commander answered, "Thank you, your Highness." Before turning around and leaving the prince to finish with his morning ritual.

VVVVVVVVVV

After breakfast, Keith accompanied Merla to the control room noticing the commotion that took place as the doors opened. A large amount of Drules walked about the circular room, some looking over the various computers, others discussing whatever information their datapads contained.

"How many engineers are working on the communication system?" Keith asked as he looked around the room.

"All of them," Merla answered with a concerned tone. "Like I said before Captain, we've never encountered a system shutdown quite like this. We can't communicate outside of Aven and no one can communicate with us."

"How about the members of the Allied Forces, how will they feel safe coming tonight?"

At this, Merla smiled, "That will not be a problem."

A questioning look entered the captain's eyes, "What do you mean?"

About to answer, another Drule walked up to them and interrupted the conversation. An inch or two taller than Keith, this Drule, had a mix of blue, and purple skin. He had handsome Drulian features and long black hair that reached his waist. "Good morning, your Majesty."

The queen smiled, "Rhyse, you're back. Glad you're safe."

"Always," he answered with a cocky little grin. "The others…I'm not sure." Looking over at Keith, he smiled in a friendly manner, "Captain Kogane."

"You know me?" Keith asked curiously.

"I know a lot of things, Captain. It's part of my job."

"Captain Kogane," Merla chimed in, "this is Special Operative Arkur Rhyse. He's in charge of all of our intelligence for the planet."

Rhyse extended his hand and Keith shook it firmly, "Nice to meet you, Rhyse."

"Pleasure is mine, Captain. I know you served as an operative for the Garrison a few years back."

Keith nodded, "Before my post on Arus."

"I would be quite interested in hearing some of your stories," Rhyse replied eagerly.

"Only if you tell me some of yours," Keith replied with a smile.

Amused by the display between the men, Merla smiled a bit, but knew she had to bring them back to the present, "How about we focus on what you came to see? The system mainframe is located this way." She escorted Keith to an area of the room that contained a large system mainframe. "Rhyse, how about you work on the report for me?"

Laughing lightly, Rhyse answered, "Will do my Queen. Captain, how about we meet later?"

"Looking forward to it," Keith replied as he followed Merla.

"This is the main unit of our communication system," the queen began, "Our engineers have gone over every area and so far they've have not found anything."

"Nothing's been tampered with?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Any unauthorized logins?" Keith asked as he moved in front of the screen and started trying some commands common to most operating systems. A smile lit his face when the request for recent commands entered worked.

"None," Merla answered. "Like I said, everything has been checked."

"Virus?"

"No." She was growing annoyed. He ignored her tone, concentrating more as he kept scanning through the hundreds of entries on the screen.

He remained silent for a long moment, studying the results in front of him for a bit longer before speaking, "How about a ghost virus?" he asked, his face moving closer to the screen as he stared at it.

"Excuse me?" she turned and looked at him.

Keith turned back to Merla, smiling lightly, "Don't worry…I had no idea what the hell that was either until Darrell discovered it. About a year ago, Voltron went on a rescue mission to planet Nukron."

"Nukron was part of Zarkon's allies until recently," Merla responded with interest.

He nodded, "They were working for Zarkon back then, before they declared themselves neutral. Anyways, in order to rescue the diplomat they had kidnapped for Zarkon, we had to break in to the castle security systems."

Merla continued listening, her interest peaking as she listened to the story, , "Their systems are incredibly advanced. How did you do it?"

"We didn't at first. Somehow they managed to send Voltron a virus that took over our systems. For almost an hour's time, we couldn't move at all. Darrell tried to locate the damn thing but everything in our systems looked perfect…on the surface."

The queen looked at him curiously, "What do you mean?"

Keith came closer to the queen, "On the surface all of us saw that the systems worked perfectly, but Darrell researched deeper and found that Voltron had been infected with a virus that attacked its infracells."

"Viruses leave a trajectory, a path, don't they?"

The captain shook his head, "Regular viruses do but not ghost viruses. They leave no trail and hide in the most unlikely places." He moved away from the terminal, "Your scientists are looking in the traceable areas of the system, tell them to look at areas that normally don't host viruses. That's what Darrell did. If this is a ghost virus, then you'll find it deep within the operating system's file structure."

Smiling, Merla responded, "I'll let Dr. Tyrus, our head engineer know of your theory. Thank you."

"Sure," he shrugged, "You're right about one thing, this isn't normal. If Lotor did this, he is using this as a distraction. We need to be ready."

Her smile dwindled mildly, "Let's hope that's not the case."

VVVVVVVVVV

Iliena zipped up her jacket and took one last look in the mirror before walking out of her room. As she walked down the hallway of the castle that led to the control room, the Drule woman smiled a little. The engineers' attempts to figure out what had brought down the communication system had come to a halt. They could not determine the cause. She hoped they would take awhile to figure out where she had placed the virus.

Cossack would arrive tonight; he would need the frequency to enter the planet. Hoping the people in the control room would be too busy figuring out what had happened to the communication system to pay attention to her, Iliena would take the opportunity to check what the day's frequency was in order to let Cossack enter.

She arrived at control within a couple of minutes and found exactly what she expected. The engineers scrambled all around the room trying to find where she had implanted the virus in the system hours before.

Iliena walked over to the central computer system that created the frequencies for the day. About to enter her code to gain access, the woman suddenly stopped as she heard a familiar voice. "Iliena."

Startled, she turned around then bowed, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that you were here. Forgive me for not acknowledging you."

"That's alright, Iliena," the queen smiled. "I've been with the Captain of the Voltron Force. He and I have been discussing what could have brought the communication system down last night."

"Oh, it's down?" she asked curiously, "I found it rather strange to see so many engineers at control this morning." Her gaze moved over to the human man standing next to the queen.

"Yes, they went offline last night." Merla answered as she noticed her assistant looking over at the captain. "Iliena, this is Captain Keith Kogane."

The Drule woman smiled sheepishly, "Oh yes. Captain, I must apologize for my behavior last night. I misunderstood Commander Hazar's orders."

Clearing his throat uneasily, Keith replied with a serious tone, "That's alright."

"The commander has suggested we look for a ghost virus. He thinks that's what infected the system." Merla began speaking to her assistant. "I just briefed Dr. Tyrus about it. He thinks he might be able to locate it before the end of the day."

"Really?" Iliena replied, inside rage raced through her, "How did you come to that conclusion, if I may ask, Captain?"

He smiled, a bit guarded, "I've encountered something like this in the past."

"Ah," the woman nodded. Turning to her queen, Iliena told her, "Your Majesty, I was about to request what the frequencies are for today were in order to have them ready with the rest of the information you would need for today."

"Thank you Iliena. Just put everything in my office."

Nodding, the woman answered, "You're welcome. I'll meet with you later for our daily debrief. It was good to meet you, Captain." She quickly turned and made note of the frequency before walking out.

Keith continued watching the woman closely as she walked out of the room. Lost in thought for a moment, Merla brought him to the present, "Is everything ok?"

Looking at her, he smiled, "Yes, let's go back to Dr. Tyrus, perhaps we can provide more help."

VVVVVVV

Allura paced around her office. Her heart pounded, her hands felt tingly and her stomach tight. She hadn't heard from Lotor or anyone from Doom in hours. Lance and the others had had no luck in finding Keith's whereabouts either. For the first time, Allura felt like communicating with her father but quickly put an end to the thought. She hadn't communicated with him in years, not since her fifteenth birthday, seven years ago. Not that it mattered, but she believed Alfor would not answer her pleas either way.

Looking outside the window, she saw the beauty Arus possessed; the trees, the flowers the birds flying about. If she had been the sweet, weak, and pathetic princess others had stereotyped her as, Arus would still have people living in caves. She had to be strong, determined, and precise with everything that she did. Voltron wasn't the only weapon that kept Arus safe. She had played a role in its safety as well.

The princess suddenly heard the door of her office open. Coran walked in. He looked serious as he approached her. The princess didn't like the look. "Coran?"

"We need to talk," he told her as he moved to a chair that sat across her desk.

She walked to the back to her desk and took a seat facing him, "Have you heard any news from Doom?"

"No," he shook his head. "I want you to consider an idea."

Growing a bit serious, she answered, "What idea?"

"I think you should seek help from Queen Merla," he replied. "I'm sure she has better contacts that can help us locate Keith. Lance…"

"Absolutely not! I will not consider such idiocy. How dare you Coran!" Allura screamed as she stood up, "She's the enemy. If it wasn't for her, Keith wouldn't be at the hands of that lunatic! Besides, you heard Lotor's warning."

"Whatever happened at Ganneth is irrelevant. What's important is that we find a way to help Keith."

"We are! Do you think that we're sitting here doing nothing?"

"We could do more!" Coran shouted back. "Don't you love him Allura? Don't you want him back?"

The princess began to cry uncontrollably shouting back at him, "I love him more than you will ever know. Gods know what Lotor could be doing to him, I can't bear it Coran, I can't."

"Then help him!" Coran begged.

"I am! But I'm doing it correctly. I'm going to save him the right way!" she snapped back. She breathed heavily before answering, "We do as planned. Have Lance continue to talk to the spies at Doom. Maybe they'll have better luck finding some information today."

Sighing and shaking his head, Coran stood up and began walking out. Allura stopped him, "I'm not seeking help from Merla, Coran. Don't ask me again."

He nodded silently. Without looking at her, he left her office.


	8. Chapter 8

A very special thank you to Michelle "AKA" Lotornomiko for her kind words and encouragment. M, I can't wait to get to chapter 33 of your fic! I'm soooo excited! :)

Chapter 8-The Time Has Come

It took every bit of effort for Iliena to walk back to her quarters calmly, smoothly and without showing the anxiety she felt stirring inside of her to those that walked around the hallways of the castle. She thought the system would remain offline for longer than a day, now she and Cossack had only a few hours to successfully complete their plan.

As Iliena walked into the room, she took out the comm. unit that Cossack had given her. She needed to tell him their plans would soon change. "Cossack, come in. Come in…"

Within a minute he answered, "What's wrong?" Something had happened. Iliena would never contact him unless the plan had changed.

"The communication system will most likely be back online by tonight," she told him, forgoing any greeting.

Cossack's eyes widened with shock. "How can that be? The virus should shut the systems down for at least a day. Are you sure you downloaded the virus correctly?"

"Absolutely," she firmly replied. "The Captain of the Voltron Force figured it out. He told our head engineer where to start looking."

"Damn him!" Cossack yelled. She heard him slam his fist on something on his end. "Did you at least get the frequency codes so I can enter today?"

"Yes," Iliena nodded as quickly retrieved a handheld device from her jacket pocket. "I'm sending them to you right now."

"Good. I'll be there tonight. Meet me by the Willow Mountains before midnight." He told her before briefly, watching her sigh in hesitation. "What's wrong now?'

"Merla. She called in the members of the Allied Forces tonight and wants them to meet with Kogane. I'm not sure how if she'll need me to assist her tonight."

Cossack maintained his silence for a moment before speaking, "Will they stay tonight?"

Iliena shook her head. "I don't think so. They will return to their planets after the dinner. They always do."

Nodding, as his mind raced with thoughts, Cossack answered, "In the end it won't matter. See me as soon as you have a chance. I'll be waiting."

The Drule cut communication with Iliena without a farewell. Sighing, she thought that speaking with Cossack would bring her peace. Instead, all of a sudden the feelings that stirred in her grew worse.

VVVVVVVVVV

Merla kept staring at Keith from afar. The captain continued to work with the engineers in control, trying to describe what Darrell did when a similar virus infected Voltron during a mission the year prior.

As she watched him, the queen couldn't help but notice the captain's sculptured physique. His height almost matched those of Drule men and his long black hair reached his shoulders. Merla thought he had the most angelic like features she had ever seen on a male human. _Such a beautiful man_, she thought.

"What consumes your thoughts Merla?" A voice suddenly startled her.

"Hazar," Merla turned around to face him, "Must you always come out from nowhere and frighten me to death?"

"Please, I rarely startle you." The Drule laughed lightly, "You just weren't paying attention. Well…" his gaze travelled to Keith, "maybe that's not entirely a true statement."

"Hazar!" she harshly whispered back, "Stop speaking nonsense."

"Nonsense?" he laughed a bit, "My lady, you can't fool an old friend," he whispered in her ear, "Captain Kogane seems to be someone of interest to you. Am I wrong?"

"Only where the Allied Forces are concerned," Merla whispered back a bit serious. "Hazar, he's the key to all of this. If I'm able to convince him…"

"You will," he assured her. "He's a good, reasonable man." Hazar paused for a moment. "Too bad he's human," he joked.

She let out a small laugh, "You're insufferable." Her gaze travelled back to Keith, who glanced at them for a moment before one of her engineers diverted his attention back to the task at hand. "He's a tall man. I never thought of humans being as tall as Drules."

Keith stood a mere two inches below the Drule men around him. "My guess, he's probably six three, maybe six four," Hazar told her. "There's always an exception. Look at you. You're a few inches shorter than the average Drule woman."

At five foot seven, Merla's height did not compare to the Drule women who averaged about six feet. But she figured that since she was half Drule, her shorter height had come from her mother's side. The queen's height brought the attention of many Drule men; she guessed some liked shorter women.

"I guess there are exceptions," she nodded, her gaze falling back to the human a few feet in front of her.

"What do you really see in him Merla?" Hazar asked as he noticed the queen suddenly fell silent.

"Possibilities," she answered Hazar, keeping her gaze on the captain.

VVVVVVVVVV

As Keith worked with the engineers at control, the corner of his eye found Merla and Hazar speaking silently to each other. They whispered something that he could not hear and then Merla laughed. He heard her tell Hazar, 'your insufferable' as they both continued laughing. The sole act made him turn toward them.

For a moment, Keith couldn't pull his gaze away from them. _They must be happy with each other_, he thought. He didn't know why, but suddenly sadness stabbed his chest. Hazar had found someone exceptional in Merla. Instead of feeling happiness for his friend, a jolt of jealousy hit him. He couldn't understand why, but Keith knew he had also lost something. Ironically, it felt like something of value that he never really had in the first place.

"Captain," he was suddenly interrupted by one of the engineers, "I need you to go over the process steps once more."

Turning to him, Keith answered, "Of course," before resuming the task he needed to finish. He knew he had to contact Arus, but he couldn't understand why no urge to do so hit him at the moment.

VVVVVVVVV

At castle control, Darrell monitored the screens. He had hoped to find a signal from Keith, but found nothing. Disappointed, he sighed and continued vigilance for anything foreign coming into Arus.

Keith had been a friend of his and the rest of the group since attending the academy. There use to be five of them, but now one was no more. He prayed he hadn't lost another good friend.

Sven, Keith and Lance had been friends before he and Hunk had joined the group. The academy called them the three musketeers. They were inseparable; everyone knew them to be more like brothers than friends. Nothing broke them apart. That's why Darrell felt so honored and blessed to have their friendship, because it was near perfection. It was the closest thing he had seen to family since he had lost his own family at the age of five.

Maybe still being young, almost turning eighteen, made him vulnerable to see the worst, but Darrell saw his group, his family disintegrating. Sven was killed their first six months on Arus during a mission to Doom. It devastated all of them, especially since they couldn't recover his body or bring him home. After that incident, the remainder of the group drew closer and adopted the princess.

Allura, at the beginning, brought a breath of fresh air to the group. She, the newbie, had all of them focusing on her and making sure she learned to fly. Things seemed great; the princess had become an expert on Blue. She had gained respect not only from her people, but her peers around the galaxy. Darrell later found out that somewhere in between teaching the princess how to fly and fighting battles to protect Arus from the Drules, Keith had fallen in love with her.

He was happy for them. Allura had found a great partner in Keith and Keith himself had found happiness again. Darrell knew he needed to find happiness; he had lost so much. For a while, things couldn't have been any better, despite war around them. They laughed, joked, and loved. But since discussions of peace between Drules worlds and Galaxy Garrison began, things had been less than great between the princess and the captain. Keith and Allura argued constantly and Darrell found the ordeal, not only annoying, but worrisome.

Things grew worse by the day. Keith had been captured by Lotor and Allura seemed to be going out of her mind. Hunk, on the other hand, had been quiet, too quiet; Darrell worried whenever Hunk grew quiet. Lance was numb and indifferent, but the youngest of the group had always known that Lance wasn't at his best when he had to take command. It seemed that they couldn't work well without the captain around.

Darrell sighed as he continued watching the screen. He saw nothing but empty space. He continued to watch; hoping for a miracle, but knowing it wouldn't come.

VVVVVVVVV

Keith looked at himself in the mirror one last time, impressed that Hazar had knocked on his door an hour earlier to bring him a Galaxy Garrison uniform; the attire he would wear to the dinner later that night.

After the engineers had taken control of the situation with the system, Hazar spent the day briefing him on who he would meet at the dinner. Keith never thought he could retain so much information about people in such a small time, but he had. He was ready to meet them and hopefully agree on the peace he longed for.

Looking back at the uniform he sighed a bit. It didn't carry with him the Medals of Honor his own uniform had, but he was grateful he wore something to represent the Garrison. He put on his hat a moment before he heard the knock on the door. Walking to it and opening it, he found Hazar on the other side of the door, dressed in his own Drule military attire.

"So my date is here to pick me up," Keith joked.

"Funny man you are tonight," Hazar answered sarcastically.

"I'm still surprised you managed to find a GG uniform on such short notice," he told Hazar as he walked out the door.

"Well," the Drule replied, "Don't be too surprised. We just have good tailors in the castle."

As they both walked down the hallways, Keith began the inquiry, "Who I am meeting first?"

"Not sure to tell you the truth. Merla finished the quarterly meeting with them about an hour ago. I guess we'll see when we get to the balcony," Hazar began, "Tonight is more of a social affair. I think it will be easier to meet each other in a less formal environment."

"Both of you want me to see your 'human' side?" Keith smirked.

Hazar smiled, "You are a sarcastic son of a bitch aren't you? But, in a way, yes, Merla believes that you really haven't seen the more…social or civil side of us."

"I really don't think…"

Hazar shook his head to interrupt the captain, "This is Merla's doing. I think she wants to impress you more than she even realizes."

Finding the statement amusing, Keith asked, "Has she always been this way?" as he continued to let Hazar guide him toward the meeting area.

"Keith," he began, "I don't think you realize how important this is to her. Merla is not like any other woman. She's the bravest woman I've met; strong, determined. She always gets her way, but never for her own personal interest. Do you know what I mean?"

Nodding, the captain continued his inquiry, "How long have you known her?"

"Since we were about fourteen," he told him. "My father was her father's commander. Both our fathers spent a lot of time training both of us in military strategy. Needless to say we spent a lot of time together in our youth."

"And now?" Keith asked curiously, surprised for being so blunt all of a sudden. "I mean, how long have you two been…together?" he asked as he kept looking forward.

Hazar turned to him, a bit surprised by Keith's question. He had never known his friend to be so upfront about personal matters. About to ask him, a guard interrupted them, "Sir, the queen would like to inform you that communication systems are fully up and running."

"Thank you officer," he replied as the guard nodded and walked away from them. Turning to Keith, Hazar asked, "Would you like to contact Arus before the dinner?"

"No," Keith responded even more surprised by his answer, 'I'd like to meet the members of the Allied Forces first. Maybe I can relay more information to Allura when we speak later." He tried to convince himself.

Hazar nodded. Surprised by the captain's answer, he hesitated and decided not to ask any further questions regarding Keith's previous inquiry. If the captain rather focus on the Allied Forces, then so be it. All Hazar cared about was that Merla achieved what she yearned to reach. Peace.

VVVVVVVVV

Cossack had entered Aven without the slightest problem. The frequency that Iliena had provided allowed him access to enter the planet undetected. He had told Lotor to use the coordinates to enter and attack, but the prince had been careful. The frequency would cause no problems for small ships entering the planet, but it would certainly pick up any large fleet coming in.

Landing on the bay exclusively for outside sources, Cossack stepped out. Haggar conjured up a spell to change his face for a few hours, just enough to get by security and enable him to enter the castle as a guest of one of the staff members.

Within an hour of his arrival, he had reached Merla's castle and entered the compound with a special access code that Iliena had given him to the guest houses. He had told her he would wait for her there.

As he settled in, he looked around the dwellings. _So different from Doom_. The house had a strange feeling of…he couldn't quite place it. He had been there before on one of the various visits to see Iliena and the same feeling struck him. Iliena once told him that Merla loved decorating in a way that provided her guests a feeling of warmth. "Warmth" he whispered to himself. Such a strange feeling, but he liked it. Not, he'd never let Lotor know that, but he did. Warmth…a strange, but pleasant feeling. He'd miss it once Lotor destroyed it.

Iliena would arrive in a couple of hours. He walked over to the living area, took out a

Datapad and began studying the specs of Merla's castle. She had provided the plans to him months before. The Drule carefully began studying the way to the main control room. He'd have to find his way there later that night.

VVVVVVVVV

Allura walked toward the control room, thinking she'd find one of the Voltron Force members on shift. Surprised, she found an Arusian guard instead. "I thought one of the members would be on shift at this time?" she asked not bothering with a greeting.

"Officer Stoker finished his shift about ten minutes ago, your Majesty. Sergeant Garrett was delayed with a repair issue, he will be coming in a few minutes," he answered seriously and with a firm tone.

"Why?"

"Sergeant Garrett decided to prepare the lions with more weaponry in case it is needed when they go rescue the captain."

The princess nodded, "Officer, you are dismissed. I'll take over."

The guard knew better than to argue with her so he simply nodded, bowed, and exited the control room without another word. Once he left, she walked over to the controls and punched in the codes for Doom. Within moments a Drule guard appeared on screen, "Your Majesty," he answered seriously, "What can I help you with?"

"Get me Lotor. I want to see him right now," she replied, holding back her emotions of anger.

"I'm right here, Allura," Lotor stepped into view.

"I'm through playing games. I want him back Lotor," she seethed.

"I'm guessing you still haven't found his whereabouts if you are contacting me." He laughed. "Don't worry Allura, I didn't beat him too much today."

Allura's blue eyes widened with pain, "Bastard!"

"The game isn't over yet, Princess," Lotor smirked. "I suggest you keep looking or wait until…if he returns." He cut communication with her before she could respond.

"Damn him!" she screamed as Hunk walked in.

"Allura," he ran to her and held her in his arms, "Allura, it will be alright. We'll find him."

"He's going to kill him." She cried hysterically, "Oh, Keith!"

Hunk shook her to bring her back from her hysteria, "He won't! We'll find him Allura. We'll find him."

The princess shook her head, "He's…beating him….he told me….he….told… me." She continued crying as Hunk held her close.

In the middle of the ordeal, Lance walked in. Hunk turned and looked at him as he continued holding Allura. "Come on. I'll take you back to your room," he whispered to her. "Can you take over for a few?" he asked, directing his attention to Lance as they began walking out.

"Sure," Lance nodded looking at Allura's pain, "No problem."

"Come on Princess," Hunk whispered to her, "You need to rest."

VVVVVVVVV

"Dinner will be held in the terrace," Hazar told Keith as they entered another area of the castle. "Tonight is a beautiful night to dine under the stars of Aven."

"No ballroom?" Keith smirked lightly, joking with his friend.

Hazar laughed, "You are all jokes tonight Keith, so unlike you."

"Have no idea," Keith laughed a bit. He really had no idea. He guessed being on Aven had an effect on him, a positive one from what he could tell.

"Perhaps you're not as uptight as you usually are," Hazar reasoned with him.

Looking at his friend, Keith asked, "What do you mean? This time Hazar laughed at the curiosity in Keith's tone.

They reached a rather huge double door. Hazar opened it by punching in some codes. When the door opened, Keith's eyes widened as he saw a square balcony terrace with tall marble pillars on each corner of the balcony. The moon of Aven majestically lit the entire balcony, giving the surroundings a smooth warm feeling all around. A long rectangular table sat in the middle of the balcony as Drules walked about talking and greeting each other. A small trio of musicians played a soft musical rhythm that sounded pleasing to Keith's ears. The atmosphere seemed relaxed and peaceful.

Hazar smiled, "I hope you like our dinning selection for the night. It's a Drule delicacy."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Keith continued looking around the area, but this time for someone in particular. "Has the queen arrived?"

"I'm right here gentlemen," Merla answered as she walked behind them. When both turned, Keith found himself holding his breath, admiring the beauty that stood before him.

Merla wore a dark blue low cut halter neckline dress with beaded accents on the empire waist. A short mini skirt with an apron overlay extended the back, completed a gorgeous train full of diamonds.

"Good evening, your Majesty," Hazar smiled as he gently took her by the hand. Keith slightly lowered his gaze to Hazar's hand touching hers. The small gesture bothered him. "We're still missing a few of our guests. They will be transported soon," the Drule commander continued telling Merla.

"Good," she smiled at him before turning toward Keith. She squeezed Hazar's hand before gently letting it go, "Good evening, Captain. I do hope you enjoy tonight's dinner."

"I'm sure I will, your Majesty," he told her, still admiring her beauty. "You look…elegant tonight." He wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful, radiant, but he knew he would overstep his boundaries by using such words.

"Thank you," she smiled and blushed a bit. "Well, allow me to present to you some of the members of the Allied forces." She extended her hand to him and he gladly took it smiling, "Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are."

VVVVVVVVV

Cossack heard a knock and walked over to the door. Once the door opened he found Iliena welcoming him with a smile that immediately banished before his eyes. She took a step back, studying him carefully.

"It's me, love. Haggar cast a spell on me. It changed my face so I could enter without detection," he reassured her. "Iliena, it's me, Cossack."

Smiling, the Drule woman ran into his arms. "My love!" she exclaimed, holding him tightly.

"I didn't expect you so soon," Cossack said, still holding her. He loved how she felt in his arms.

"I asked to be relieved for the evening. It seemed that I wasn't needed for Merla's meeting with members of the Allied Forces tonight."

Curious, Cossack stepped back a bit and looked at her, "When will they leave?"

"Tonight, I'm sure. They are using the portals for travel," she answered. "Cossack, what are you planning? You said you wanted the Captain of the Voltron Force, but I feel you are here for more."

The Drule smiled, "I told you the time would come where we would take what was ours."

"What are you talking about?" she seemed worried, "Cossack?"

"Iliena, Lotor wants to take over Aven and the time has come. You're going to help us do that," he told her as they walked farther into the room.

She looked worried, scared, but also determined and hopeful. It bothered Cossack a bit as she questioned, "When this is over, you'll take me with you as you promised. We'll be together, right?"

Smiling, Cossack nodded, "…as promised." Distracting her from asking more questions, the Drule kissed her passionately. Iliena groaned in delight as he lifted her up and took her to the bedroom. Many things would happen soon, but for right now, all Cossack had to worry about was to make Iliena happy one last time.

VVVVVVVVV

As Keith and Merla walked along the terrace, the captain felt the lingering stares cast his way. Being the only human in the room intimidated him a bit, but he held his composure. Merla on the other hand, was the epitome of confidence as she walked and greeted everyone around her with a smile. She presented the captain to the various officials around the room.

At one point, she walked a bit ahead of Keith and that's when he saw the open back of her dress. Merla had a perfectly shaped back and the captain found it hard not to imagine touching each curve, feeling his lips working their way from her neck down to her well-rounded derriere.

A flash of light interrupted his pleasant daydream. He saw the ray of light appear in the middle of the terrace. The light formed itself in a crystalline circular sphere that glowed brightly. Keith watched with fascination as two Drule men walked out of it.

"What the…" he began astonished by what he saw.

"It's a portal," Merla turned to face him, "A gateway that transports the members of the Allied Forces from their planets to Aven. It's the safest way to meet without being detected."

"How is that possible?" Keith asked as he continued watching the sphere become transparent and then disappear. He turned his attention to Merla, "How did you do this?"

The queen smiled proudly, "There are many things you don't know about Aven, Captain. If you help me make this treaty happen, I'll show you more than you could ever imagine." She turned away and continued walking ahead of him.

Keith looked at her; beautiful, strong and full of secrets. Merla got more interesting by the second.

"Captain," Merla called out as she walked closer to a man a few steps ahead of her, "Allow me to present to you his Royal Majesty, Zecknia of planet Titan."

He was a tall Drule man, almost a foot taller than Keith. The man smiled at him, "I've heard so much about you Captain Kogane."

"I hope all good, your Majesty," Keith replied as he shook hands with the giant in front of him.

The man laughed heartedly, "So far good. I just hope you are everything that I've heard of because, if you are, then my people will have the peace they deserve."

"Believe me sire…I'm willing to do everything in my power to make that happen."

"Well, how about we start by you telling me what it would take for the Alliance to consider a union with us?" the king asked.

Keith looked at Merla. She smiled proudly; her eyes telling him that the floor belonged to him. Turning to the king, Keith began, "I'm glad you asked. Let me begin by telling you what the Alliance is looking for."


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you for your kinds reviews and emails! Hugs to everyone.

Chapter 9-The Plan Set In Motion

Iliena shouted Cossack's name as she came for a third time. The Drule made every one of her love making fantasies come true that night. She gave herself completely to him, forgetting everything around her. Falling more in love with every kiss, every touch, every time he entered her.

The woman breathed heavily as he suckled tenderly on her breast. "You taste so good," he whispered, "You are one incredible woman, Iliena." He lifted himself up a bit to look into her eyes. "I mean it when I tell you that."

She laughed and played with his hair. "You're the one who's incredible. God, Cossack, you make me feel wonderful." Iliena kissed him passionately. "I'm so in love with you…I can't wait to be your wife."

Even though he smiled at her comment, the words hit Cossack harshly. Knowing he had to follow the prince's command, he could not help that Iliena pierced his heart in a way no other woman ever had. The Drule commander didn't know when he had fallen for her, but somewhere between meeting her and planning this mutiny against Merla, it happened. Iliena had strength, intelligence, and a willingness to do anything, not only for the cause, but mostly for him. He knew she loved him and damn it, he loved her too. No human woman could compare to her. No one.

"You'd be happy being my wife?" he asked her as if he didn't believe her words.

Her smile answered his question. "Happy? I'd be happy and proud. I love you," she whispered to him.

Cossack kissed her again and held her close to him. "I love you too Iliena. More than you know." He meant it. He didn't know what he'd tell Lotor, but he wouldn't obey the command given to him. He wouldn't. Iliena didn't deserve to die when she had given up so much for him.

Iliena began kissing his neck and ear. Cossack closed his eyes, delighting in the way she made him feel. She gently turned him over onto his back and began working down his chest, abs and lower body. Feeling him sigh heavily, Iliena smiled and looked up at him, "It's my turn to make you feel good." She continued working her way below his navel until she reached his member and began caressing it with her tongue. Cossack groaned, closing his eyes while enjoying every feeling she offered him.

There were many things they had to do in order to bring Lotor success and end Merla's dangerous games. But at this moment, Cossack didn't think of that. There'd be time for it later. Right now, nothing had more pleasure than enjoying everything Iliena gave him.

VVVVVVVVV

Lance stood outside one of the balconies of the castle, overlooking the lake. The moon shined dimly, a sign of the upcoming winter. He heard footsteps coming up behind him and when he turned, he watched Hunk walk in and stand next to him.

"How is she?" Lance asked as he turned to look at the shadowy landscape.

"Asleep. Doctor Gorma gave her a sedative," Hunk answered as he joined Lance and faced the gloomy landscape. With all the commotion, Lance had asked a guard to man Control for him. They both needed the break and Hunk appreciated it. Finally, he asked, "Have you heard anything?"

Lance shook his head. "I'm worried. Lotor's MO is very different this time. I've had informants search every fucking place in that castle and they've found nothing, not one damn thing." He sighed in frustration.

"I think we should contact Merla. Maybe she can help us," the bigger man suggested.

"Stop dreaming Hunk, Allura wants nothing to do with her," Lance answered with a sigh. "Besides, she hasn't contacted us since the incident. What if she is working with Lotor? _Ever thought_ of _that possibility_?" he finished with a bit of sarcasm that left the taller man a bit aggravated.

Hunk remained quiet for a moment, processing the theory, "It just doesn't make sense. Keith's been telling me for months that Merla and Hazar have wanted to discuss a peace treaty and a union with the Alliance."

"It could have been a trick," Lance reminded him.

"Bullshit!" Hunk grunted, "Keith was very sure of this…I don't get it. How proud can Allura be? How can she love him and not be humble enough to seek for the one person who can actually help us?"

"Hunk…"

"Damn it, Lance! We can't lose another one of us again. First Sven, now Keith? We've never worked this…slow." Turning around to face him, Hunk pleaded, "We can't lose our friend."

This time it was Lance that became silent. Then, after a moment he spoke again, "The informants are still trying to find a location. Give them…"

"Fuck that! He could be dead by then."

"What the hell do you want me to do?" Lance shouted back, finally looking at Hunk. "We have no idea of his whereabouts! I can't form a plan or even a rescue attempt. I'm damn blind here, Hunk. An unplanned rescue attempt won't help him or us!"

He could see Hunk's frustration shining on his face. Sighing out his own, Lance placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Give them some time, I promise you that if they can't find anything, we'll go in and do it ourselves."

"He's our best friend," the big man whispered in defeat.

Lance reassured him, "He'll come back. I promise you that, Hunk."

VVVVVVVVV

Iliena slept peacefully on top of Cossack. He could feel the slowness of her breathing against him as he softly stroked her hair. Sighing, Cossack knew the time for fun had ended and the time for serious work had come.

"My dear," he whispered to her, "It's time."

She groaned and snuggled against him, "Why? I'm so comfortable now."

Cossack wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, "I know, love. But I need you to get me into castle control."

Her eyes popped open and she looked at him, "What? Now?"

"It's the perfect opportunity. The queen and the commander are busy at dinner. The guards will be distracted with securing the areas where the meeting is taking place. It's the best time. Besides, I don't have much time. Haggar's spell will end soon and I'll be recognized if I don't take the opportunity now."

She looked worried and scared. Kissing her tenderly, Cossack soothed her, "Do not worry my love. I know what to do. All you have to do is get me in."

Nodding, she smiled nervously, "Alright. Get dressed."

VVVVVVVVV

As the evening continued, Keith met more Drule leaders willing to listen and work with him. The more he spoke to the members of the Allied Forces, the more he realized that the union would benefit the Alliance. The Allied Forces wanted peace and nothing to do with Zarkon.

The Drules spoke to him not only about becoming part of the Alliance, but offering their technological advances as a contribution to the Alliance, should an agreement be met. '_This would be huge for us_,' Keith thought. At the moment, Zarkon possessed weapons far more advanced than human weaponry. Contributions from Allied Forces would give them an advantage.

After much talking, dinner was served. Keith sat with the leaders from planet Titan and Selak, while Merla and Hazar sat with representatives from other planets. He tried to pay attention to the people he sat with, but Keith found his thoughts shifting to the queen more often than not.

He didn't understand why, but the more he saw her, the more fascinated he was with her. Merla was astonishingly beautiful, but there was more. In her he saw a passion, a happiness of some kind that he had only once seen before. Many times, he heard her contagious laugh, saw her beautiful smile, her eyes full of life. Hazar, at her side, seemed just as happy. Keith then thought of Allura and how he never saw such happiness within their own relationship as he saw with theirs. He envied Hazar even more at that moment.

"Is everything alright, Captain?" the king asked, noticing that his attention had suddenly drifted.

"Of course, your Majesty," Keith nodded as he continued eating his dinner. The meal looked rather strange to him. It seemed to be some type of meat, but the texture was nothing he recognized. He tried it anyway and found the taste to be rather delectable. The meat melted in his mouth, soft, tender, and tasty.

"I hope you are enjoying dinner tonight. Shrinsklat is a Drule delicacy." the king mentioned.

"It's incredible," Keith answered, "I've never tasted something like this. If I may ask, what is it?"

"Well, it's an animal that originates from Titan. To you, it may look like something close to a boar. Except, a Shrinklat has three heads and certain parts of it are rather poisonous."

Keith looked back at his plate with a slight troublesome gaze. The king smiled, "Do not worry, Captain. I'm sure the queen will not be poisoning any of us tonight."

Both men suddenly laughed and continued their meal.

VVVVVVVVV

The couple walked into the castle without any suspicions and began heading to control when a guard making his rounds stopped them in the hallway. "Iliena, I thought you had the night off?" he asked curiously.

"I do," she answered uneasily, "This is a family member of mine."

Looking at the two rather serious, the guard asked, "Do you have authorization for him to enter the castle?"

"Oh, please! I'm the queen's assistant," she answered him, annoyed. "Don't you think I'd have the wretched authorization?"

"I'm sure you do," replied the guard, unscathed by Ilieana's sudden change in attitude. "I'm also sure you'll have no problem showing it to me."

Sighing in frustration, Iliena took out a data pad from the jacket she wore, "Here. Happy now?"

Looking at the data pad, the guard then looked at Cossack to confirm the person he saw on the pad. "Alright, you know that there are certain areas…"

"That are restricted," she nodded, "Yes, I know. Can we go now?"

Looking at the pair rather suspiciously, the guard nodded curtly, "Sure. Have a good evening," he answered, giving the Drule woman a warning with his eyes before he walked away.

After the guard left, the pair continued to walk toward the control room, "Good call on the authorization," Iliena whispered to Cossack as they continued walking.

"I told you I'd be prepared. When is the changing of the guard?" He smiled.

"In about fifteen minutes," Iliena replied, looking at her watch. "The guard on duty may still be there, though."

"It won't matter. Are we close?"

"Yes," she nodded, "just around the corner. What are you planning to do?"

Cossack smiled a bit, "You'll see."

VVVVVVVVV

Inside the control room, Iliena found a guard on duty. He turned just as Cossack withdrew his gun from the inside of his jacket and shot him. The guard fell back against his chair. Iliena, about to scream, felt a hand abruptly cover her mouth. "Control yourself!" Cossack whispered harshly in her ear.

"But…" she croaked as he released his grip on her..

"You knew this would happen." Cossack looked at her, "There's no going back now."

Iliena looked stunned, but she tried to control herself while nodding curtly at Cossack, "I knew him."

"A casualty of war," Cossack firmly stated. "This isn't your fault. Merla's against our world, our people. You are standing up for our race, Iliena. You are the savior of the Drule race." That motivated her. He could see it in her face. Her features changed, she hardened, became more proud. Cossack kissed her hard and smiled after, "That's my girl."

"What do we do now?"

"Find tomorrow's entrance codes for fleet entry. I'll hide the body."

VVVVVVVVVV

The night progressed smoothly and Keith found himself strategizing and working with the various leaders on how to effectively communicate with the Garrison. Dinner had concluded and now the group stood on the other side of the terrace, walking around, drinking cocktails and admiring Aven's nightly meteor showers in the sky as music continued playing.

Merla watched from afar how the captain worked the room, how he was so comfortable in his surroundings and how confident he displayed himself. Something, a feeling, inside her began to develop, but she stopped herself immediately. She couldn't…she shouldn't. The captain belonged to another and he was just supposed to be her ticket in gaining entrance to the Alliance. Nothing more.

"Are you alright?"

Merla turned to find Hazar standing in back of her.

"Of course," she smiled. "I guess I must have drifted away in thought."

"Must have been some daydream," Hazar smiled. Looking at Keith speaking to yet another leader, Hazar began, "He's really connecting with them."

Merla nodded, "And they are connecting with him too. It's amazing that in such a small amount of time, he has slowly begun building trust."

"I told you we'd get results with him," Hazar smirked.

"Yes, but, will he be that convincing with the Alliance?"

Nodding confidently, Hazar replied, "I have no doubt about it. I've been told that the Alliance considers him their Golden Boy."

Merla gave her friend a questionable look, "Golden Boy? What is that?"

"Apparently it is some term used to describe an outstanding member of a team. In this case, the Alliance."

The queen shook her head, "Human's have strange ways of describing their people." Looking over at the captain, she continued, "But, in some ways, they are not much different than us, aren't they?"

Hazar put his hand over her shoulders, "They aren't. If only both parties would realize that."

Both became pensive for a moment, neither speaking but enjoying the relaxed atmosphere around the area. After a while, Merla spoke, "Hazar?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think he's happy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think he's a happy person…content with his life?"

"Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, "Curious. The princess and he seem to be complete opposites. I mean, I don't really know the woman, but based on my interactions with her she seems…."

"Merla…"

"I know. Don't worry," she snorted, "I won't say a word to him. After all, that's his future bride, am I correct?"

Looking at her seriously this time, Hazar told her, "Do not illusion yourself, Merla. He's here for one reason and one reason only."

At this the queen pulled back a little, anger filled her and her features hardened slightly at her friend, "Do not belittle me, Hazar. I know exactly why the captain is here," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he regretted.

Sighing, her features softened once again, "I only meant that I see sadness in him. I'm not sure where it comes from, but I am curious. You know that the human race has always been an interest for me."

"Just let the interest die there," he warned.

Merla looked at him with frustration, but at the end, she just curtly nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

Looking around the room, Cossack tried to find a place for the fallen soldier, but he couldn't find a place to hide him.

"The mainframe room," Iliena pointed out as she worked on the main computer to retrieve the codes, obviously knowing what he was looking for. "They won't check that room until tomorrow evening to do the updates."

"That will do," he told her as he went over to door she pointed out. Taking out a small device from his pocket, he placed it next to the access pad and began look for the combination to get the door opened. Within seconds he unscrambled the code and the door opened. Quickly, he went over to the dead body, picked it up in a fireman's carry and took him inside the room. Just as quickly, he closed the door and hurried over to Iliena. "Did you get them?"

She nodded, "Yes. Here they are."

Cossack typed them on his own data pad and sent them back to Doom. The first phase of the plan was complete.

XXXXXXXXXX

Another leader came in and interrupted Keith's conversation. Both leaders respectfully excused themselves and departed with the new comer, leaving Keith alone. Other leaders where already leaving via the portal that had already opened on the other side of the room. The captain walked over to the edge of the balcony and gazed on the show taking place in the sky.

Paying attention to what had occurred, Merla turned to her friend. "Hazar, I'm sure the captain will want to contact Arus by now, why don't you try establishing connections? Some of our guests are already leaving; we'll probably be done soon."

Taking out his comm. unit from his belt, Hazar began, "Barklos, come in?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ilieana and Cossack looked at each other. Hazar was trying to reach the guard on duty.

"What do we do?" Iliena asked, looking terrified. "If he suspects anything, we're as good as gone!"

"Answer him," Cossack ordered.

"What am I supposed to say?" she argued.

"Come up with something Iliena! Don't ruin this for us, we are so close!"

Sighing with nerves and frustration Iliena walked over to the control panel and pressed the button, "This is control commander."

"Iliena?" a pause, "What are you doing at control? Where is Barklos?"

"I forgot to run a report for the queen and I wanted to have it ready for tomorrow. Barklos was called out."

"Is there an emergency?"

"No, no commander. Everything is fine. They are sending another officer now."

Another pause, this one lasted a bit longer, "Iliena, have the other officer contact Arus. I'll be on my way."

"Yes sir," she answered as calmly as possible. When communication was cut, she looked at Cossack. "He's coming!"

"Call in another officer. Tell them this Barklos was called out to guard another post."

"But…"

"Just stall!" Cossack was losing patience. "We don't have much time!"

"Alright!" she raised her voice, "What are you going to do?"

"I need to stop that transmission from reaching Arus."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10- A Night With the Stars

Outside, in the balcony where the dinner took place, Hazar sighed in concern. Looking curiously at her first in command, Merla asked, "Iliena is at control? She had asked for the evening off."

The Drule asked back, "She said that she had to print out a report for you?"

Merla nodded her reply, "One of our evacuation sites is up for maintenance. I needed a report of supplies and other resources needed, but I wasn't in a hurry for it."

"You know Iliena…she's quite anal about her work," he stated uneasily. Hazar must have found the action strange as well.

Merla didn't reply. "Why don't you go to control and check over things? Call us when connection with Arus is established."

"Will do," he answered and took leave.

Shifting her gaze back to the captain, who stood alone by the balcony, Merla began walking toward him. "Enjoying the show?" she smiled when he turned around to look at her.

"Yes, nice looking meteor showers tonight," he answered with an equal smile.

"We have one every night," she shrugged as she looked up. The night glowed with red and blue speckles that painted the sky. "Here on Aven the nights are rather entertaining."

"Every night?" he said, surprised.

"Well, my planet's gravitational pull attracts lots of comets and asteroids. We have such a thick and powerful stratosphere that by the time they enter the planet, they are no more than specks in the sky. It is beautiful, isn't?"

Keith was impressed, "Amazing." He paused for a bit looking at her lovely face and getting lost in it for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Merla asked, noticing the pause lingering.

"Oh yeah," he immediately told her. "I'm sorry. Just got lost there for a second."

"Where did you go?"

He smiled, trying to hide the awkwardness he'd begun, "I'm sorry, just thinking."

"About?"

"Do you always need to know everything?" he asked her with a flirtatious tone.

Playing his game, she answered, "Actually, I do."

A couple of leaders walked up and bid them goodbye for the evening before they went through the portal that would take them to their home world. In between the talking and the goodbyes, Merla soon found herself alone with the captain on the terrace, under the lights of the meteor shower with the bright moon, the soft breezes of the ocean and the music that still played around them.

"So," Keith began, "I guess it's over. It was a lovely evening, your Majesty."

"Thank you," she answered, "But, to me the most important thing is that you felt that we could work together."

"In speaking with most of the leaders, I found that we agree on most things and I feel that the Forces and the Alliance can come to an agreement."

"You think so?" Merla asked with hopeful eyes.

Keith nodded, a feeling of happiness overwhelmed him when he saw the hope in her eyes, "I guarantee it, your Majesty."

Without warning, Merla pulled him into a fierce hug, "Oh! Thank you!"

The gesture took him by surprise, but Keith found himself hugging her back, feeling her exposed skin against his body. It felt good. She even smelled good, like lavender, it filled his senses and made him puller her closer to him. "You're welcome," was all he could manage to reply.

Noticing what she had just done, Merla pulled back suddenly, "I'm so sorry Captain, I didn't mean to be so forward." Embarrassed, she began to turn away from him, but he stopped her and turned her around to face him again. Flustered, she started, "Captain…"

"Would you mind if I asked you something a bit…unorthodox?" he asked her gently.

"What?" Merla asked, perplexed.

"Seeing that there is music still playing, I was wondering if her Majesty would do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked with a smile, "I apologize for being so forward," Keith finished with a wink.

At this Merla smiled, "We'll be even?"

"Only if you dance with me," he replied as he extended his hand to her, "I'm a pretty good at it."

Taking his hand, Merla giggled nervously, "I'm not. I never learned the things a normal queen learns…"

"Like dancing waltzes and other useless things you don't need during war?" 

"Yes," she nodded, "my sentiments exactly."

He gently wrapped his arm over her small waist and pulled Merla to him. Taking her hand, Keith intertwined it in his. "Follow my lead," he told her before turning and whisking her away toward the middle of the terrace.

Keith guided her slowly, moving with the rhythm of the music, holding her close to him. At first he felt Merla stiffen, as if trying to synchronize with his movements, but slowly, she began to loosen up and together they moved in silence, listening to the melody that held them through the night.

VVVVVVVVVV

Cossack walked out of the control room just as Iliena called another officer to the post. She in turn, disconnected the hallway computers for five minutes to give him enough time to reach his destination without being discovered. He needed a place to contact the prince without anyone hearing him or discovering who he really was. Iliena suggested her office. He quickly punched in the codes on his data pad that would show him the layout of the castle and found the location. With the code she gave him, he walked in and sat on a chair she had across the table.

After pressing some codes on his data pad, he watched the image of his prince appear, "Sire, I need some help."

"What is it that you need?" Lotor asked seriously, "Did something go wrong?"

"No, so far everything is as planned, but somehow Merla's people managed to fix the communication systems. Hazar is about to contact Arus."

"Shit!" Lotor replied frustrated, "I'll intercept communication immediately."

Sighing, Cossack nodded, "The codes of entrance…"

"I have them," Lotor confirmed, "We'll be there by morning. We'll speak soon." With that he cut communication.

Cossack felt an air of relief. So far, everything had gone as planned. Yet, something else felt wrong. He thought about going back to the control room to get Iliena, but that would raise suspicion, especially if Hazar was already there. In silence, he waited and began to think of ways to get Iliena out of harm's way when all this would be over.

VVVVVVVVVV

Hazar had found another soldier, Meher, at control by the time he had walked in. Iliena was working on another station as well. "What happened to Barklos?"

About to answer, the guard was cut off by Iliena, "He was asked to man the east area of the castle, Commander. Seems one of the officers fell ill."

Such things had happened in the past, not very often, so Hazar decided to speak to the lead security officer. About to take out the comm. device to do so, Meher stopped him, "Sir, I've established contact with Arus."

Putting the comm. unit away, he ordered, "Connect."

"Right away, Commander."

Listening to the guard's words, Iliena held her breath.

VVVVVVVVVV

The captain and queen continued their dance in a comfortable silence, enjoying coolness of the night and the warmth they provided each other as they held each other close.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?" Keith whispered into Merla's ear.

She smiled as she laid her head against his chest, "Do I?"

"Very," Keith replied as he spun her out then brought her back in his arms.

"Thank you," she answered as Merla laid her head against his chest once more. After some time, she lifted her head to face him, "What are you doing, Captain Kogane?"

He smiled sadly at her, "I'm just dancing with a beautiful lady." With his reply, he also knew his deeper answer. It was a dance, just a dance and nothing more.

Merla once again rested her cheek against his chest, "Hazar's contacting Arus for you. You'll be able to speak to Allura and your friends shortly."

She felt him stiffen a bit, but he still managed to answer, "Thank you."

"I'm sure she'll be relieved to see you're alright," Merla continued, her face solemn even if he couldn't see it. "And you'll be happy to see her again."

"Of course," was all he managed to reply.

They stayed silent for a moment, neither knowing what to say next. It was Merla who decided to begin, "At least now, you can go back and speak to the Garrison?"

"That I will," Keith replied quietly, "I promise you that I will do whatever is in my power to let make this union happen."

They didn't say a word and continued dancing until she murmured, "Captain."

"Yes,"

"Since you'll be going home soon, I was wondering if you'd join me for breakfast before your departure. I can show you around the castle." She looked up to see him looking at her intently.

"I'd be happy to, your Majesty," he replied, "Thank you."

"Call me Merla," the queen finished telling him before her comm. system went off. The moment was lost after that. Both stopped dancing and Merla answered, "Hazar?"

"I've connected with Arus."

"We'll be right there," she answered as she looked up at Keith and put her comm. unit back on the belt of her dress. She hid her sudden disappointment with a smile. "Let's go."

VVVVVVVVV

At control, Allura looked at Hazar, and others in the room with wary eyes, "How long until he arrives?"

"He's on his way, your Highness." Hazar answered. Iliena watched the screen intently, hoping that nothing would be said that revealed her and Cossack's treachery.

Minutes later both Keith and Merla walked in. At the sight of Allura, Keith thought he'd feel a sudden burst of happiness, but found himself quite settled and indifferent. However, he tried not to let it show. "Allura," he said greeting her with a small smile as he walked up to the vidscreen.

The princess in turn shouted her relief as soon as she saw him, "Keith! You're alright!" she smiled.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Keith replied, looking at her.

"How…why didn't you contact me?" She suddenly asked, looking worried, "We thought Lotor had you…we've even had spies at…" Allura couldn't finish, her worry registering on her face.

"I'm sorry, Allura," he replied worriedly as he watched her concerned demeanor, "I tried reaching you, but Aven had a communication systems shut down. This was the soonest I could contact you," Keith explained, trying to calm her down.

"Are you alright?" she asked in affirmation, her eyes moved uncertainly over Merla, who stood silently behind him.

He nodded, "I'm fine, sweetheart and I do have great news for us. I've spoken to the leaders of the Allied Forces. I'm sure we can arrange an agreement and unite the Alliance with them."

Allura smiled a bit, "That's…great." She nodded in confirmation, "We can discuss this when you've returned to us."

Keith looked at her with an inquisitive look, "Allura?"

"I'm happy really." She looked at rest of the group standing by him, "I'll be happy to work everything out, but Keith, I need you home. Please, come home."

He had never known Allura to display so much affection in front of people, "Umm…of course…we think Lotor's keeping a vigil of Aven. I would prefer if the lions came here, in case they need our help."

"We'll be there by morning," she answered firmly. "I'll see you soon, love," the princess smiled before cutting communication.

Keith stared at the screen for a moment. Something seemed strange, but he couldn't pin point anything. Allura seemed like herself, but then again, somewhat different.

"Is everything alright, Keith?" Hazar asked, walking over to his friend.

"Yes," the commander answered, nodding. Looking at his friend, he replied, "Thank you for connecting me."

"You're welcome," Hazar nodded, "I think we've made a lot of progress tonight, don't you think?" he asked looking both at the commander and the queen.

"We have," Merla answered seriously. The glow in her eyes that she had earlier was gone, "I do think it's time to rest, though. Tomorrow, I'd like to discuss with you and the princess the treaty before the summit convenes."

"Sure," Keith answered, equally seriously. She had answered him in a most royal manner and he knew right then that she was back to business, back to her purpose. It saddened him.

"Merla, Commander, I'll walk you both to your rooms then," Hazar volunteered.

"That won't be necessary, Hazar," she answered, "I'll walk the commander to his room and I know my way."

Curiously, Hazar asked, "Are you alright?"

"Of course," she answered, "I am fine." Looking at the commander, Merla smiled, "Commander, allow me to walk you to your room."

"Thank you…your Majesty," Keith answered before nodding his dismissal to Hazar and walking out with the queen.

VVVVVVVV

Merla fell silent as she walked the captain back to his room and Keith felt a sudden coldness and division between them. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Merla looked at him, a bit too coldly for his taste.

"You're angry."

"I am certainly not. You obviously misinterpret my feelings, Captain," she immediately answered. "I couldn't be happier. I'm getting exactly what I've wanted for a long time."

"And that would be?" Keith asked seriously.

"A seat on the Alliance." Reaching his room, she turned and smiled at him, "You should get some rest, Captain."

Not knowing what to say or do, Keith punched in the codes Hazar had given him earlier and walked in, "I'm sorry I misinterpreted your feelings. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Nodding curtly, Merla answered, "Tomorrow. Have a good night, Captain," she finished as she turned around and left.

VVVVVVVV

Lotor smiled triumphantly after cutting communications with Aven. Leave it to the witch to disguise herself as the Princess of Arus and fool everyone, including her fiancée.

The witch's spell had not yet faded away. She still looked like Allura as she walked closer to him, "So what do you think?"

"I think you fooled them," Lotor replied, "Now, if you could only be successful in your other tasks…"

She snorted in contempt at the prince then asked, "What do we do now?"

Lotor turned to an officer seated at the central console of his control room, "Get a fleet ready, we leave for Aven in an hour."

"Right away, sir."

The prince turned to Haggar, "Get out of my sight. You might look like Allura, but you're nothing more than a cheap copy."

The witch laughed sarcastically at him, "Don't get cocky, Lotor, not even that Allura," she began to answer him, "would dare touch you either." With that she turned and left the control room.

Grunting in anger, Lotor put his attention to the guard sitting in the control room, "What's the estimated ETA for Aven?"

"We should arrive by mid morning if we leave within the hour as you ordered, sire," the guard answered looking at his screens.

Nodding, the prince, walked out of his control room as he ordered to his soldier, "Make sure we have everything ready. We leave as planned."

VVVVVVVVVV

Walking into her bedroom, Merla changed into a stunning, strapless, long black night gown with a multi strap ring bodice. The air flowing around the room made the long slits on the side of her gown slide away, exposing her long legs. She let her hair down and massaged her scalp gently, finding relief from the weight of the hairdo she had worn earlier.

The queen was far from tired. So much had happened in the last couple of hours, so many feelings. Worry about the outcomes of the dinner, happiness from the positive interactions between the leaders of the Allied Forces and the Captain of the Voltron Force, nervousness from dancing with the captain, anger from seeing the Princess of Arus.

She sighed as she walked out to the balcony and gazed upon the waterfall. "Why should I be angry? There's no reason to be. I have what I've wanted for so long," she spoke to herself. Keith would help her join the Alliance and her planet would have the protection it needed from Zarkon or his allies. "So, why am I so angry? And how the hell does he know that I am!"

Merla had been fine, until she saw Allura on the screen. She shouldn't have been angry, but seeing Allura reminded her of what she would lose, Keith. "Oh for the Gods!" the queen exclaimed angrily, "He's nothing to me. He belongs to her," she reasoned to herself.

"I can't have feelings for him, I can't allow myself to," Merla told herself firmly. "This isn't right."

She turned and walked back into her room and got into bed. Turning off the lights, she listened to the sounds of the waterfall as she laid staring up at the ceiling. "It was only one dance," she whispered, "One dance. It meant nothing."

VVVVVVVVVV

Keith wore the same black satin trousers from the night before, but opted out of wearing the top that went with the ensemble. Lying on top of the bed in the darkness, uncovered, he also stared up at the ceiling, trying to understand what happened in the last hour or so since discussions with the Allied Forces ceased.

He had shared a dance with the Queen of Aven. _That was nice_. He thought still feeling the smoothness of her skin against his hand and the intoxicating smell of lavender. _Damn it! It was more than nice_, he had to admit. _It was wonderful._ It wasn't just the dance; it was the way she made him feel. For a brief moment, Keith didn't feel…constricted. He felt free, as if the burden of the world decided to lift from his shoulders and had gone away for a while.

For some reason, Merla had a way of making him forget problems, technicalities, everything that made him think. He could dream with her. Only one other person could make him feel that way. Only one other person could make him dream.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you all for your reviews and well wishes. They mean a lot to me. Happy Sunday everyone! :)

Chapter 11-The Arrival

Sometime after the captain and the queen retired for the evening, Hazar, too busy planning for the Voltron Force's arrival, never verified the change that took place between the guards at control. Iliena continued to hope the commander had overlooked the detail as he distracted himself with other tasks. Relieved that Hazar had in fact overlooked the discrepancy, she left control and walked to her office, knowing Cossack waited for her there.

When the Drule woman walked in, her eyes widened at the sight of her lover at her computer, typing away without so much as a look at her. A bit annoyed, she asked, "What if it would have been someone else coming in?"

"I programmed your computer to transmit all video here. I knew it was you before the door opened," he responded with a bit of pride in his tone as he continued working diligently. "Come over here love, I need your help."

Always liking to feel needed, Iliena walked over to Cossack and stood next to him. Her eyes moved over him as she asks, "Don't you want to know what happened?"

"Later. If you've come back calmly, it means that everything went well at control," the Drule answered as he continued typing some commands. "Right now, I need more information."

"Information? What are you talking about?"

He stopped his work and looked at her, "I need to find Merla's secret base."

Iliena looked at him surprised, "Cossack, you'll never find it. Merla guards the whereabouts of that base like a crazed woman. Only she knows where it is. I don't even think Commander Hazar knows."

"It's got to be somewhere in the system." Cossack went back to the computer. He had given a lot of thought to this. If he found the base, he'd use the information as leverage to save Iliena's life. Lotor would accept the trade, he knew it. "I need to find it."

"Cossack…"

He cut her off, "Why don't you rest, Iliena? I'll call you if I need you. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"But…"

Cossack interrupted her again, "I'll hack into the system. She has to have something…a clue, a code…something. And I intend to find it."

She didn't think he'd find anything, but she hoped he would. Either way, Cossack didn't look like he would give up. He looked like a madman working the computer, as if his life depended on it. Lying down on a sofa in her office, Iliena tried to find sleep. Tomorrow would be another day and she hoped everything she had worked for would soon pay off.

VVVVVVVVVV

The queen and the commander felt restless in their respective rooms. Both awake, they had been unable to sleep as thoughts continued to keep them from slumber.

Keith wondered what had possessed him to dance with Merla. Even more surprising was his forwardness toward her throughout the night. "What the hell is going on with me?" he sighed, frustrated, "I'm already…."

"Engaged," Merla answered from her bed as she turned to her side, "He's engaged. Merla," she spoke to herself, "he's in love with another woman, you shouldn't even think of the man that way." Sighing, she tried closing her eyes, "He's here for a purpose and it's not for either of us to feel anything toward each other." The queen tried to sync in with the sound of the waterfall, trying to find some relaxation that would help her find sleep. Ironically, the sound of the waterfall annoyed her more than anything. Sitting up, she rose from bed and walked over to her balcony, "This is utterly…"

"Ridiculous!" Keith walked around the room, after he rose from bed. "Allura is the woman I love. I shouldn't have any feelings for Merla. I'm acting like a complete…."

"Moron!" Merla shook her head as she walked back in and got under the covers of her bed once more. "I'm acting like a damn fool! Lust. It has to be lust. I refused to act like…."

"A damn teenager with blue balls!" Keith spoke roughly to himself as he walked back to his bed. Pulling the covers over him, he lay down, staring up at the ceiling. "I won't let this get to me. I won't have these feelings…."

"Take me over," Merla repeated to herself.

"I won't!" both told themselves before closing their eyes and hoping sleep would overtake them.

VVVVVVVVVV

The next morning came to both of them far too soon. Still feeling groggy and annoyed, both Merla and Keith decided to take showers and hoped that neither could tell the other hadn't slept.

Keith put on the flight uniform he wore the day of the conference on Garrath, knowing that in a couple of hours he'd be on his way home. The castle maids had done a great job laundering it. They had even managed to repair the area where he was shot. Keith knew he should have felt happy, but he didn't. He'd miss Aven and, although, he'd hate to admit it, he'd miss Merla as well. He hadn't slept the night before, trying to reconcile what he felt for a woman he had met only forty-eight hours earlier.

The captain convinced himself that his nerves about the upcoming wedding played tricks on his mind. It had to be that. He has been in love with Allura for years. She loved him. And, although they had their moments where they fought and got on each other's nerves, there were also happy times when they couldn't keep their hands off each other. He loved Allura, always has, and always would.

Sighing in relief, Keith zipped up his suit and headed out the door. Yesterday had been a mistake. He kept reminding himself of that. Today would be different. Keith began to think of how he would hold Allura later that night and never let her go. How he'd make love to her and even discuss the possibility of moving up their wedding day. He was feeling better, stronger.

Walking toward Merla's room, he knocked on the door. Moments later, the queen walked out, "Good morning, Captain. Did you sleep well?"

_Lust_, he thought to himself as he gazed at the beautiful woman before him. _It has to be lust_.

VVVVVVVVVV

Iliena woke up to find Cossack still working on the computer. The spell had worn off and Cossack looked like himself again. Surprised, she sat up and asked, "You haven't found anything, have you?"

The Drule shook his head in remorse, "No. I've searched everywhere in the system and I've found nothing. She's hidden the whereabouts well."

"I told you," she reminded him as she stood up. "What do we do now?"

"Wait," Cossack responded in defeat, "Lotor is on his way here."

"So it begins," Iliena answered. Walking to her lover, ignorant of the real reason he sat at the computer all night trying to find the information, "This is really happening."

"Yes," he replied wrapping his arm around her waist, "Iliena?"

She looked at him, "Yes?"

"Whatever happens, make sure you stay close to me. Do not leave my sight."

Looking at him with a worried expression, the woman asked, "Is there something I should know about?"

"No," Cossack smiled, "Nothing love, I just want you close to me, okay?"

"Sure," Iliena smiled as she nodded. "I will be. I won't leave you."

Cossack smiled at her, but inwardly, his nerves played tug of war.

VVVVVVVVVV

Lance ran into the dining room where the Force gathered for breakfast. "I found a location!"

Allura looked at him intently, "What do you mean?"

"The Doom informants; they got a fix on Keith," Lance almost yelled, "Two hundred and fifty miles north of the castle. Past the Pit."

"I've never known them to have anything past the Pit of Skulls," Darrell answered with some suspicion. "Are you sure it's not a trap?"

"Do we have a choice?" Lance asked back, "This is the first news we've gotten since his disappearance. We need to check it out."

"Agreed," Hunk nodded as he stood up from his chair. "Let's prepare. We should leave as soon as possible."

Lance nodded, "Darrell, prepare the lions."

"On my way." The youngest of the group stood and left with Hunk.

Alone, Allura walked up to Lance, "Are you sure about this?" she asked with a worried look.

"Yes," he nodded. With a reassuring smile, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Get ready." Without another word, he walked out.

VVVVVVVVVV

When he looked at her, Keith wondered if he had stopped breathing. Merla definitely had an interesting effect on him. What was it about this woman that made him question everything he had known and felt in his life? Merla apparently did more to him than he realized.

She wore an extremely tight, black leather flight suit that sculpted every inch of her perfectly lean body. Funny how he couldn't see any part of her skin; the suit covered her up to her neck, yet he saw every inch of her curves perfectly.

Merla sported her light pink hair in a ponytail that casually fell forward over her left shoulder. She offered a small smile after her greeting. "Good morning, Captain, did you sleep well?"

"Perfectly," he lied as he tried to compose himself, "How about you?" He extended his arm, which she took with ease.

"Very well, thank you," she answered as they walk down the hallway together. "Breakfast is being served on the terrace where we had our dinner last night."

"No music?" Keith joked, amazed that his former self from last night was slowly creeping his way back. He just couldn't control himself around her.

Merla laughed at his playfulness. "If you want them, I can bring the musicians back," she taunted him.

Keith didn't answer since he knew what his answer would be. Instead, he quickly changed the subject, "Hazar told me a little about Aven yesterday."

"What did he tell you?"

"Not too much. Just that it's protected by a Dome? In addition, that most of your evacuation process is done underground? I'd be interested in knowing how you made this all possible."

Nodding, the queen continued looking forward, "How about breakfast first and then I'll show you how Aven is protected."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lotor could see the planet Aven up close on his viewscreen. "What's the ETA?"

"Forty-Five minutes, my Lord," one of his officers answered.

"Prepare the fleet for invasion."

VVVVVVVVVV

When they arrived at the terrace, Keith was mesmerized by what he saw. Turning astounded eyes to the queen, he asked, "We're in the middle of an ocean?"

"You didn't notice that last night, did you?" Merla giggled at the look on his face. "I think Hazar forgot to mention that part."

"I think so," he nodded in surprise. The night before, he hadn't heard any waves or anything that would remotely tell him an ocean surrounded him.

"The castle is in the middle of the ocean. The cities lie on the main land, about one hundred and fifty miles away. We have approximately fifty-seven cities and two more are in the process of being built," she answered as she walked over to the balcony. "Maybe I can give you and the princess a tour later," she said, turning to face him.

"Perhaps," Keith nodded. "May I ask something?"

"Sure."

"Where are your fighters?"

"If I tell you, I'd have to kill you," she answered seriously. Merla began to laugh when his face suddenly registered a bit of surprise, "I'm only kidding, Captain. Under the castle, I have an underwater base where some of my military equipment lies."

"Underwater?"

She nodded, turning her back towards the landscape in order to face him, "Yes, this way we have the element of surprise in case of an attack. We haven't been attacked in years, so our enemies won't know where we're coming from. And, on the side, not seeing our ships and weapons out in the open gives my people a feeling of peace on the planet."

Keith thought for a moment on her words and to him, they brought some sense. It was interesting to see how the lions, weapons of destruction, brought peace to Arus and how Merla hid hers in order to maintain peace. "What about the dome that Hazar spoke of?"

"Shields, that's what I prefer to call them," Merla corrected him, "There are really two. One that we've developed outside the planet. Any ship or fighter trying unauthorized entry will be practically pulverized by nuclear rays that make up the shield."

Amazed, Keith asked, "How…how can you make this possible?"

"I have a scientific base equipped with things you wouldn't even imagine, Captain Kogane," she answered with a smile, "I have probably the galaxy's most promising scientists born on my planet."

"Where is this base? In the castle?"

"Captain, as much as I would love to share all my secrets with you, I just can't divulge this one." Merla stated walking up to him. Moving her attention to the main doors, she watched as the servants came in with a cart filled with food and juices, "I think I've said enough. Why don't we have breakfast?"

VVVVVVVVVV

The team left Arus in haste, taking their lions to Doom, hoping that they'd find their lost comrade.

"We should arrive there in two hours, give or take," Darrell answered, monitoring his scans. After a moment of silence with no confirmation from the team, the young man asked, "You think…he's ok?"

"He's fine," Lance immediately answered. "We need to keep ourselves alert and positive. Keith will be fine."

"Lotor hates him," Darrell continued with so much worry in his voice that Allura couldn't help the tears that fell down her face.

"Keith's strong," she told him. "He's strong and can ta ke anything that Lotor gives him. We need to have hope."

"Darrell…" Hunk then stated gently, "We won't lose him. He needs you to be strong. All of us need to be strong for him."

Nodding, the young man pulled himself together, "All right, I'll start cloaking the lions as soon as we reach two thousand miles. We don't want to be seen."

"Good" Lance replied. "Alright. Let's go over the plan one more time."

VVVVVVVVVV

After they had finished their breakfast, the queen gave the captain a small tour of the castle. Keith noticed how the entire castle was opened. How the sunshine and the ocean breeze ran through the corridors freely. So different from the Castle of Lions that seemed closed off to the world. Even though the windows were clear and you could see the landscape outside the planet, it still felt awkward to Keith that nature was sealed off to him and everyone else around him. Technology like the one Merla possessed could change so many things on Arus and everywhere else in the galaxy.

They reached a large oval balcony that looked more like a garden. The flowers in this particular garden were different from any other flower he had ever seen anywhere else. Keith's gaze fell onto one particular deep, purple flower that looked like a lily but was sealed shut. What was curious about it was that the closer he walked toward it, the more the flower blossomed. When he stopped in front of it, it fully opened and turned orange in color. When he looked around, he found the others flowers had done the same, opening not just in orange, but also in brilliant pinks and yellows. It was a spectacle that completely astonished him. Keith turned and smiled at the queen, "I've never seen anything like this."

"They're Gloxinias," Merla answered him.

"Do they open every time someone comes close to them?"

"Only when they fall in love," she shrugged.

"What?" Keith asked curiously. He could still hear the ocean around him as he walked around. "When they fall in love?"

She nodded, "The name means love at first sight. They fall in love with the person that approaches them. They demonstrate their love by opening their petals and showing the viewer their beauty and love. Well, that's what we say here on Aven."

"They are beautiful," he told her, taking another look at them and appreciating all of them as they opened to him. "There seems to be so much beauty on this planet."

"Perhaps you can see more of Aven in the future," Merla said in a melancholy tone, suspecting he probably wouldn't be back to sightsee in the future.

Keith nodded awkwardly, most likely thinking the same thing the queen believed. He didn't think Allura would feel the same way he did about Aven. Sighing, he looked up at the cloudless sky just as Merla was called in on her comm. unit.

"This is Merla."

"Where are you?" she heard the rough voice of Hazar on the speaker. He sounded nervous.

"In the gardens, is everything alright?" she answered, as she watched Keith staring intently up into the sky.

"Your Majesty?" Keith asked as he closely studied some objects flying above. He knew it couldn't be his team. Arus was about three hours farther than Doom, they wouldn't make it until after noon time. As the objects came closer, he could see that they didn't even look like the lions or any of Arusian ships for that matter. They were Drule. "Shit!" Keith exclaimed as he turned and grabbed Merla by the arm. He rushed her inside as he heard the first laser shot blow away parts of the garden.

VVVVVVVVVV

As they rushed inside, Merla turned to see the fire that ignited her once beautiful garden. On the comm. unit Hazar shouted, "Merla! Come in!"

"I'm here!" she screamed back, "Hazar, how were they able to enter the planet?"

"I have no idea. Just come over to control. I need you here. Is Kogane with you?"

"Yes, we're on our way," Merla replied, running alongside Keith. "Have you started evacuation procedures?"

"I initiated them as soon as I saw them come in," he answered, "Just get yourselves over to control now!"

"On our way!"

VVVVVVVVVV

On his ship, Lotor quickly began barking out orders, "Have five ships surround the castle."

"Yes sire," one of his officers answered.

"I want to land as close as possible near their control room," Lotor continued when he suddenly felt his ship shake aggressively. He turned angry eyes back to his men, "What the hell is going on?"

"Avenian ships!" another officer called, "They're coming out of the sea."

"Well, don't just tell me about them asshole, fire at them!" the prince growled. "Destroy them and get me to their control, now!"

VVVVVVVVVV

Entering control minutes later, Keith and Merla met with Hazar, who was busy relaying orders to the soldiers who flew in the air. Watching what was happening on the screens, Keith felt the need to help. "How do I get to a fighter?"

Merla turned toward him, "Captain, I can't let you out there!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Captain," Merla began again, trying to explain, "He's coming for you. The night that we brought you in, he asked for you. I'm not sure why, but he is doing everything he can to get you. I can't let you go out there."

"I can't just stand here and do nothing!" Keith argued, "I have to do something…"

"Keith, you are as valuable to us as you are to Lotor," Hazar tried to tell him, "You can help us by staying close and not letting him take you."

"Hazar…"

"My friend," Hazar interrupted him, "for once, let us protect you."

Nodding, Keith sighed in dissatisfaction, "Fine. What do we do then?"

"We need to get you two to safety first…" Hazar responded.

"I'm not going anywhere," Merla interrupted him.

"Merla!" Hazar replied with anger, "You're in as much danger as he is. Do not undermine my orders. My job is to protect you."

Resigned, she instead asked, "Where do you want me to go?"

Suddenly the doors of the control room opened. The threesome turned to watch Cossack walk in and quickly shoot the two guards. "Don't move!" he shouted at the three remaining people in the room. "Any of you move and I'll blow your fucking heads off."

"Cossack?" Keith asked, astonished.

"Don't get any ideas, Captain," Cossack replied with an evil smile, "Lotor wants you, but he never really said I needed to take you back to him alive."

Keith didn't reply, but he did get closer to Merla, as if protecting her.

"How did you get in here?" Merla asked, stunned. She hadn't even finished asking when a second person entered the control room. This was a woman, a woman Merla knew. "Oh gods…"

"I let him in," Iliena replied with a smile.


	12. Chapter 12

Again, thank you so much for your kind thoughts, recommendations (Leslie!) and wonderful reviews. On with the show!

Chapter 12-Deceptions

Doom, the most dangerous planet in the Crimson Quadrant, looked no different than the Sahara dessert. Vast and endless; full of sand dunes, stone plateaus, gravel plains, and dry valleys. The towns and cities looked poor and desolate from the air. The Drules of Doom had never been a sociable group. They kept to themselves, except when they went to the amphitheater at Castle Doom to watch the fights. Then they turned ruthless. From the air, Lance watched the supposed cities. Buildings made of stone scattered around; all miles apart from each other. At times he could see nomad camps in between the travelling areas of the cities. Zarkon kept his people living like those of the ancient era. He didn't let them grow, advance, develop. They were simple people and would remain simple. As they passed the cities under radar, Lance scouted the area that was given to him by the informants. This area, past the major cities, had nothing but sand upon endless sand.

"I don't see anything here."

He heard Darrell comment as the younger man's image popped up on his vidscreen. "Lance, are you sure?"

"This is where I was told he was," the interim commander replied as he punched some codes on his computer console.

"This is all desert." he heard Hunk's voice tell him, "There's a base here?"

"It must be an underground base," Lance responded, "We just need to find where it is at."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lotor appeared on the vidscreen once Cossack coded him in, "Your Highness," Cossack began, "Iliena and I have everything under control." It was true. Both had managed to lock the control room which disabled the guards from coming in. Iliena sealed off the entrances around the castle. While the castle guards tried gaining access to the control room, the remaining soldiers either fought in the air or guided civilians to underground evacuation areas.

"It is very nice to see you, Merla, Captain," Lotor smirked sarcastically to the latter. Looking back at Merla, he replied, "You make it so hard to come and visit my dear. I had to practically invite myself."

"What is it that you want, Lotor?" Merla stepped forward, her face ablaze with anger.

"What the hell do you think I want, Merla?" Lotor snapped back, "I want you dead! You're a disgrace to the Drule race and I want nothing more than to put you out of your misery."

"You're insane!" she yelled back, "I want our race to have the opportunity to grow. All you want is complete control of them. To put our race in a position where they cannot survive…half of us want a peace and the other half are scared shitless of you and your father."

"Shut up bitch!" Lotor growled back. Turning to the Captain of the Voltron Force, he stated, "You seem quiet for a change, what? No snappy comebacks of how you'll soon claim victory."

"All in due time, Lotor." Keith maintained eye contact. "You won't get away with this."

"You'd be surprised with what I can get away with, Kogane," the prince roughly answered, "Cossack, my ship is on the closest landing bay to the control room. Bring them here. We'll take off as soon as they arrive." Finished, he cut communication and the screen went dark.

Smiling triumphantly, Cossack turned to his prisoners, "You heard the prince. Let's go." He signaled toward the door with his gun, "Don't make any stupid moves. I know Prince Lotor wants the privilege of killing you himself, but I won't hesitate to shoot you."

VVVVVVVVVV

Almost dizzy from seeing endless fields of sand, Darrell's eyes flew open when his radar began to beep, "I got something."

"What?" Lance barked on the comm. unit.

"Underground…." The young man kept studying the ground below. "I'm locking in coordinates and sending to you all." Within moments, the team had coordinates that guided them to a specific area no different than what they saw previously, but ultimately special. Soon, they hoped to find their lost friend.

"Darrell, are you sure?" Hunk asked.

He nodded, "It's about fifty kilometers below the surface, but it appears to be some type of holding cell. He's got to be in there."

"How long until power runs out on the cloaking devices?" Allura suddenly asked.

"One hour at most," Hunk answered, "We have to work fast, if not…" he didn't finish.

"Alright," Lance remained in control, "Hunk, you and I will go get Keith. Allura and Darrell will be on lookout."

"No!" Allura replied in hysteria, "Lance, I want to look for him!"

"Allura," he sighed, "if he's badly hurt, I have a faster chance of getting him out with Hunk than with you."

That seemed to calm her a bit. Through the vidscreen, he watched her nod curtly. Turning to Hunk, Lance ordered, "Let's land a couple of miles away from the compound. I don't want the vibrations from the lions to give us away."

"Right," Hunk replied, "Let's go get the captain."

VVVVVVVVVV

They walked down the hallway in silence. Keith and Hazar in the front, Cossack quietly a few steps behind them with a gun pointed at their backs. Merla walked in front of Iliena, who made sure she kept her own gun pointed at the queen. "Why did you do this?" Merla suddenly asked her once assistant.

"Because you have disgraced the Drule race," the assistant replied without looking back at the queen, "You'd rather help the humans control us…you'd rather live among them, that…race that is so beneath us. I'm sorry, your Maj…Merla. I cannot allow you to destroy the most superior race in the galaxy."

At this Cossack smiled, "Ain't that the truth."

"You're insane." Merla shook her head in disappointment, "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into Iliena."

"I've made my people proud," she answered, "Which is more than I can say for you."

In front, Keith and Hazar looked for some way to escape before reaching the landing bay. Keith's main priority was to get Merla away from Iliena. At this point, it was all he cared to accomplish. If they reached the bay before taking action, it would be next to impossible to escape. Neither Keith nor Hazar said a word, but both were prepared to do what needed to be done when the time arrived.

With the hallways cleared, the infiltrators walked rather confidently. Cossack threatened the guards with Merla's life should any of them interfere with their walk to the bay. They heard the fighters flying around them and felt the castle shake from time to time. The bay drew close. Keith could have surprised Cossack with a counterattack, but with Iliena holding Merla close at gunpoint, he couldn't risk it. Hazar wouldn't either.

As they continued walking, Keith noticed a red ribbon tied to an air vent, flipping silently from the air that blew out. From the corner of his eye he hoped Hazar had noticed too. A slight smile curved the Drule's lips indicating he had. A sign. Ironically, a red ribbon meant the same in both human and Drule tactical maneuvers. Something would happen soon and they had to act fast and be prepared for whatever came next.

Keith was closest to Merla. Should an attack happen, he knew he'd get to her faster. They soon approached a connecting hallway. Suddenly a round object, the size of a tennis ball, rolled past Keith and Hazar. It appeared out of nowhere, as if it had come from the floor itself. Both men stopped as Cossack watched with surprise as the ball stopped by his foot.

"What the…"

Iliena looked over at Cossack. Her eyes widened when she saw what he was looking at, "Cossack!" she yelled and pushed him away just as Hazar yelled, "Now!"

Keith grabbed Merla, threw his body against hers using the momentum to push her as far as he could down the opposite end of the hallway.

Hazar also took refuge across the opposite end as the bomb exploded in front of Iliena.

Lying on top of the queen and breathing hard, Keith opened his eyes to find himself eye to eye with her, "Are you alright?"

Glassy eyes stared back at him blankly, "What happened?" was all she managed to say before blacking out.

"Shit!" he whispered to himself. She must have hit her head on the floor when he pushed her down. Before he knew it, Hazar was by his side as Keith began to rise.

"Are you both alright?" When he saw Merla, the Drule's eyes suddenly registered fear.

"She's knocked out," Keith replied as he gently began to pick her up. Within seconds, some of the smoke began to clear and Rhyse appeared.

"We better hurry," the Drule stated immediately.

"Rhyse, you and I need to get back to control," Hazar ordered, "Open the gates and help the fighters in the air. Keith, I need you to keep Merla safe."

At Keith's nod, they moved back down the hallway. The smoke had finally cleared enough to make the rest of the occupants visible. The men looked down at Cossack, who had crawled his way to Iliena's prone form.

"My love…" he croaked. He wiped the blood from her face with his hand, but her eyes stared blankly back at him. "Iliena…" She was dead, he knew it. She had saved his life, but also ended her own at the same time.

Without any feeling of sympathy or regret, Rhyse pointed his gun at Cossack. "Get up," he sneered. The Drule slowly stood up, defeated. Neither Hazar nor Rhyse lowered their guard as they stood in front of him. "I'll take him to the detention center before I meet you at control," he told Hazar.

Nodding, the commander asked, "You'll be alright?"

Glaring at Cossack, who seemed to be in somewhat of a shock, Rhyse answered, "I can handle him. Now, hurry."

Turning to Keith, who held a still unconscious Merla in his arms, Hazar told him, "Let's go. I need to get you two out of here."

VVVVVVVVVV

As they hurried down the hallway toward the control room, Keith finally asked, "Where are you taking us?"

"I need to get you and Merla out of the castle," Hazar replied as he punched in the code to enter the control room. Walking in, he continued speaking, "We have an emergency cruiser underground. The escape pod that leads to it is here at control." He walked to the console and pressed some codes. On a side wall, a door appeared and immediately opened, "Take the pod to the cruiser. Get away from here as fast as you can. Don't fight back. Our fighters will protect you. Planet Tareo holds a base about fifteen thousand kilometers north of Aven. Our soldiers are based there to protect the queen should emergencies like these happen. Get her there and wait till I contact you."

Nodding, Keith replied, "If you need me back…"

"I won't hesitate to contact you, Keith," Hazar responded, "But right now, you two are more of a liability for us than an asset."

"I know," the captain responded, "Be safe, Hazar."

"You too my friend," the commander responded, "Now go!"

VVVVVVVVV

The Doom underground base was buried a few hundred feet below ground. Lance used Red Lion to blow away the excess sand and reveal the door to the base. They would have to act fast, Drule guards would soon come to inspect the base. After opening the hatch, they went inside and walked within the dark corridors of the underground cell. Lance led, Hunk trailed not too far behind. They noticed a couple of empty cells as they passed by. Hunk made sure to check each of them, hoping he'd find Keith in the corner of one.

"No guards?" Hunk asked as he continued his search.

"By the time they bring their captives here…" Lance paused, not really wanting to answer the next part, "they have been beaten severely from the torture devices Lotor used. If they don't die by the time the guards come, they are sent to the Pit of Skulls. Personally, it's a fate worse than death. Guards come only twice a day, to pick up any dead bodies or to take living ones to the pit. It's just another method of torturing them."

"Shit!" Hunk answered and unconsciously hurried his pace. "Are you absolutely sure he's here?"

They reached a corner that divided into two areas. "Take the left side," Lance ordered quickly, "I'll take the right side."

They broke immediately, Hunk heading in the direction he was ordered to and Lance taking the other side. Both continued to search, hoping to find their missing friend.

VVVVVVVVV

The escape pod that would take them to the cruiser had two seats. Keith carefully put Merla in one. She was still out cold and had barely made a sound since he had pushed her away from the bomb. However, once he sat her in the chair, the queen released a small whimper. Noticing the crease in her brow, Keith unconsciously caressed her cheek, "It will be alright, sweet…"

He stopped himself from continuing. Instead, he composed himself, "I'll keep you safe, your Majesty." Turning, Keith took the next seat and pressed the button that would seal the pod and take them to the cruiser.

Once they reached the escape craft, Keith picked up Merla again and quickly transferred her to the co-pilot's seat. When he secured her, he took his own seat and coded the longitude and latitudes of their refuge point into the computer. He turned to look at Merla one more time, trying to reassure her, "We're leaving."

VVVVVVVVV

Lance walked along the area, finding mostly empty cells. The area was dark, but his eyes already adjusted to the darkness. As he looked into one cell, he noticed someone. A man lay on the floor in one corner. His clothes were shredded. Lance couldn't tell anything else from where he was. He immediately opened the cell door and walked in. Carefully walking to the man with a flashlight he took from his belt on his hand, he placed the light to get a closer look at him. Lance's eyes widened at first, but then he gathered his composure. It wasn't Keith, but for a moment, he almost looked like him. He looked so much like him. He noticed the man's chest moving. Still alive.

Fear entered Lance's heart. The man was unconscious. He hadn't stirred or even noticed Lance's entrance. When he checked his pulse, it was steady. Looking closer at him, he noticed that his left leg appeared broken judging from the way it was bent, so was his right arm, with the elbow socket popped out. Lance glanced at his watch. The guards would arrive in twenty minutes, which meant that they would have to leave in at least ten. No way they'd make it with this guy, he was so badly injured.

Frustrated, Lance continued to look around. He remembered that the informant had told him that there were specific cells that helped tell the guards which prisoners would be put in the pit, should they live long enough. Quickly getting up, Lance searched for the specific cell. When he finally found one, he noticed two other men in it. They were half-conscious, but too weak to even tell Lance was actually a friend. Neither were Keith, he could tell by the height and width of their bodies_. Where the hell does Lotor have him?_

Lance quickly went back to the cell containing that lone man, carefully picked him up and took him to the cell that would later take him to the Pit. Still unconscious, the man did not hear when Lance whispered, "At least you'll live."

Walking out, he suddenly heard one of the men, call out to him hoarsely, "Please…help…us."

Sighing deeply, the only thing Lance could answer was, "I can't," before he sealed the door on them.

Running back to their meeting area, he watched Hunk approached him, his eyes full of frustration, "He's not here."

"I know," Lance managed to tell him, "We need to get out of here. The guards are coming in about ten minutes."

"If he's not here, then where the hell is he?" Hunk asked, defeated. "Allura's going to have a fit."

"Don't give up yet Hunk. We will find him," Lance nodded in affirmation.

VVVVVVVVV

Pacing around his ship, Lotor anxiously awaited his new captors. Finding the time drawing short and that they hadn't arrived, the prince found himself losing what little patience he had left, "Where the hell are they? Where's Cossack?"

"We're trying to reach him, sire," a soldier replied, "He's not responding."

"Damn it! Something's gone wrong," the prince stated as another soldier called out more information.

"Your Highness, another ship is leaving the landing bay."

Quickly, Lotor turned to the vidscreen, "Get me visuals." The soldier did not hesitate to complete the prince's request. Within seconds, the video showed a small craft taking off, evading the ships fighting around it. Lotor knew immediately it wasn't a fighter. "Fuck! That's Kogane flying that ship. He's fucking escaping!" Turning to the soldier trying to contact Cossack, Lotor shouted. "Where the hell is Cossack?"

"Still unable to reach him, sire," the soldier answered seriously.

"Damn him!" Lotor pounded his fist on the console. "Well, don't just stand there! Bring that craft down. It can't leave Aven! Move!"

VVVVVVVVV

It's wasn't like Keith to purposely dodged any of the ships coming his way, but the Avenians must have recognized the ship he flew as the queen's. Besides, he needed to follow Hazar's instructions. Any Drule ship attempting to attack it would immediately be destroyed by the Avenian crafts.

They were protecting their queen at all costs. Keith turned to check on Merla, only to find she was still out. It worried him; he must have pushed her harder than he originally thought. Knowing that he needed to get away from Aven, the captain pushed the craft to its limit. He needed to get Merla medical attention and soon.

Almost reaching the stratosphere, Keith felt a blast hit his ship from the side. Shaking violently, the impact stirred the queen to wakefulness. Looking around, Merla felt lost for a moment, "Where…"

"It's ok," Keith answered as he tried to keep control of the ship. "We need to get out of Aven."

Merla shook her head, "No…can't leave."

"Hazar's retaken control. We need to get to Planet Tareo. From there we'll be able to help them. I'll call my team…" Another hit. This time Keith lost the engines of the craft. "Shit! They shot the engines!"

A bit more alert now, Merla looked around the view outside the craft. She saw the Jura mountains. "Jura…" she said aloud.

"What?" Keith asked as he tried to guide the ship as best he could with what he had left.

"Head for the Jura mountains," she answered him, still fighting to stay awake.

"There's nothing there," he replied, "we'll crash."

"Trust me," she countered. About to be hit again, an Avenian craft intercepted the blast with one of its own. Almost desperate, Merla yelled, "Go! Trust me."

With no other choice, Keith listened to Merla and headed to the mountains. The Jura Mountains, with voluptuous peaks full of snow, had no place for a landing. Keith had no idea how or where he was going to land the ship in one piece. "Merla…"

"Go through the mountains," she ordered.

"But…" He looked at her unsure.

Looking at him back she nodded confidently, "Go! Trust me!"

No place to land, they were about to crash into the mountains. He trusted her. The mountain drew closer, threatening, but Keith went anyway. There was nothing to lose at this point. He would be a goner either way. The closer they came to it, Keith felt like his heart was about to pop out of his chest. He could see the snow, closer and closer. Suddenly, everything went dark.

The ship shook, Keith could no longer control it. Merla screamed. He held onto the controls as tight as he could. Finally, a loud thump sounded and it felt like the ship was jumping through hurdles. Keith tried to keep the craft as straight as he could. The lights of the ship shut off, everything went dark. The ship kept moving forward into the vast darkness. Things kept falling around them. Keith knew the ship was breaking apart. He heard Merla scream again. He cried out in pain…then darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

My apologies for the long wait. It's been pretty crazy lately.

Chapter 13-Breach

Inside control, Hazar barked out orders to the fighters in the air, "Make sure that none of Lotor's ships gets close to the queen's. I repeat, nothing gets close to Queen Merla's ship!"

"Hazar," Rhyse suddenly stated as he stood by the radar console, "Lotor's fighters are dwindling in numbers."

"Are they retreating?" the commander asked as he looked at the vidscreen to confirm Rhyse's observation. He heard his operative shout out, "Doesn't look like it….shit!"

"What?" Hazar turned to him.

"The queen's ship, it's been hit," Rhyse stated, continuing to stare at the screen. "I think…it's crashing into the mountains."

The commander knew exactly where they were heading. Turning abruptly, Hazar communicated with the flight leader, "Take Lotor's ship out. I repeat, take out Lotor's ship."

Hazar knew he had to divert the ships away from the mountain. Looking back at the vidscreen, he watched as Merla's ship crashed deep into one of its peaks, disappearing into the vastness of the thick snow. Turning to another part of the control room, he then ran over to another console and began typing a set of codes that only he knew. Sighing in worry, he turned to the vidscreen, where he honed in to the mountains.

XXXXXXXXXX

The emergency lights of the ship automatically turned on once the craft came to a halt. Keith looked around, surprised that they even had lights after such crash. His mind was a bit foggy for a moment, wondering where he was. Then, he remembered, "We went through the mountain?" he whispered to himself. He turned to check on his passenger. "Merla?" he called out. No answer. She was out again. He swore, knowing he sat in a now completely useless ship.

Keith attempted to rise from the pilot chair only to stop himself when he felt a sudden burst of pain. He failed to realize that his left foot had been caught between the control panel and the pilot chair when they crashed. The pain exploded with such ferocity that his eyes watered. Feeling the intense pain for the first time, he couldn't stifle his scream. Breathing deeply, he gasped, "Fuck." He breathed harder, trying to control the pain.

He didn't know how long it took him to be able to control himself from the temptation of screaming, but it felt like forever. Keith tried to lift the panel, but it wouldn't budge. Growing anxious, he called out Merla's name again. The queen did not stir. The pain grew worse, to the point where he felt he was blacking out. He did.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lotor felt his ship shake violently several times before he fell on the floor of his craft. The Avenians were focusing on him now. He didn't doubt that they were angry at what he hoped was the demise of their queen.

"Sire…the Avenians…they are gaining ground," one of his soldiers shouted as he tried to stay in his chair.

"Get us out of here! Now!" Lotor yelled back. Another massive hit shook the ship as Lotor frantically tried to rise.

"What about Cossack?" another officer called out.

"What about him?" Lotor growled back, "Get us the hell out of here!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Staring at the screen that riveted Hazar's attention, Rhyse turned to his commander, "You think they'll be alright?"

Sighing with a bit of worry, Hazar answered, "I think so. Kogane is a hell of a pilot….I'm sure he landed in the best possible way."

"If you call the base…"

"No," Hazar shook his head, "Merla has made sure that no one leave the base, no matter what." He paused thinking of what she'd do in such a scenario, "Merla knows the way to the compound."

Rhyse looked at Hazar intently, "Are you sure about that? The only way back for them will be to walk deeper into the mountain."

"She knows the way to the compound," Hazar repeated with a nod. Maybe it was to confirm his belief, "She'll find the way there."

VVVVVVVVVV

He didn't quite know when he came to again. Keith estimated it was about forty minutes or so later. Ironically, his watch still worked and he was able to calculate the time from the moment of departure to now. The pain had increased since he woke up. He needed to get out of his imprisonment before it grew worse.

Moments later, he heard a moan. Between the tears of pain clouding his sight, Keith managed to call out, "Mer…la," unable to keep the pain from sounding in his voice.

"Kogane?" she finally answered, still trying to clear the mugginess clouding her eyes. It took a minute or two, but she was finally able to see things a bit more clearly. She heard his voice ask her, "Are you alright?"

"No," she groaned, "but I'll live."

"Can you walk?" Keith asked.

Once she adjusted her vision, Merla leaned forward and noticed his leg sandwiched between the console and his seat. "Oh, Commander!" she stood to help. "I'll try lifting the panel a bit, so you can pull your leg out."

Keith nodded, "On the count of three," he prepared himself, knowing there'd be pain once he escaped. "One, two…three!"

Merla lifted the panel with all her strength while Keith quickly pulled his legs out of their confinement by swiveling the chair around. Once he was safe, she let go of the panel immediately.

"How bad is it?" she asked as kneeled near him and looked at the injured leg.

"I'm not sure…maybe a fracture," his voice shook with pain.

"It's more than that, you're bleeding," Merla noticed the blood flow out of the suit he wore. Taking out a knife hidden in her boot, she sliced through the pant leg to find a fierce cut a couple of inches below his knee, "Commander, this is a very deep cut."

"Does this ship have a first aid kit?" he asked while studying the cut. "It looks like a compound fracture. Shit, it fucking hurts!" Keith spoke through the pain as Merla quickly stood and began looking for the first aid kit stored within the craft.

"I found one!" she yelled before walking back to him, "Ok, this," she began holding out a liquid blue bottle she had taken from the kit, "is called Dekaron, we use it as a disinfecting agent against any type of cuts we get as a result from fights or…cases like this. It also seals wounds."

Keith nodded, now feeling the pain unbearably.

"I'm not sure this will work on… you, but, it's the only thing we have," she told him looking at his leg. "Captain, this will hurt."

"More than…it already does?" he tried joking.

She nodded, "It will seal the cut. But, it will hurt."

"I understand," he told her. Nodding when he was ready, Keith ordered, "Okay…use it."

"Don't move. Try to hold on to something."

He held on to the armrest of the chair he sat on and nodded once again, "Let's get this over with."

"Get ready," she told him then she poured the liquid over the cut. Keith gripped the armrest as the burning heat hit his leg. He tried to stifle his scream, but it was useless. He tried to move the leg but it was nearly impossible, Merla made sure of that by holding it tightly once as she poured on the medication.

After several minutes, Merla studied the leg once more. "Damn it," she whispered.

"What?" Keith asked looking up at the ceiling of the craft, gathering his strength.

"It didn't work," she sighed. "It's a remedy designed for Drules. It didn't seal the wound, but I'm hopeful that at least it disinfected it."

Looking at her, he asked her, "Do you have something to wrap it with? I need to keep it as clean as possible, until someone finds us."

"They're not coming for us," the queen replied as she looked for something to wrap Keith's leg with in the first aid kit."

Keith looked at her, "What do you mean?"

Sighing, Merla responded, "There's absolutely no way that Lotor can access the caves, especially now that Hazar activated the shields," she paused for a moment before continuing. "Remember when I told you we have many technologies that can help the Garrison with Zarkon and the rest of the Drules?"

"Yes," he listened to her intently.

"We've kept our technology secret from the rest of the Drule planets for decades because of Zarkon. All of our technology is housed right here in this mountain. It serves as a scientific base."

"I…don't get," Keith looked at her interestedly despite the pain. "How is that possible?"

"This mountain also serves as a secret base. It's the only one that the satellites won't pick up because it is hidden within the depths of the mountains. All of our planet's technology and research lives down here," Merla explained.

"Only a small number of us know the purpose this mountain serves as. Not even my scientists know where it is located. They are transported in hibernation pods to the mountain, therefore, never knowing where they are stationed. My scientists have no contact with the outside world. Once their service or projects are complete, they can either decide to stay and continue serving or go back to a civilian status," she came back with a tourniquet. "This is the best thing I could find."

"It will have to do," he answered, looking at it. She handed it to him and he carefully tried wrapping the tourniquet over his leg. "So those at the base won't come to us?"

The queen shook her head, "No. I'm sure they don't even know we crashed. They are only allowed outside a limited number of miles outside the base. If we get within that area they'll be able to detect us."

It took him a while, Merla wanted to help, but knew he would probably do a better job on himself and could support his own pain. After a long moment, Keith finally wrapped the leg the best way he could. After he finished the task, he asked, "Are you sure Lotor won't be able to get to us here?"

"No," she immediately answered, "It's like I told you before, Hazar should have put in a force field throughout the mountain to prevent Lotor or anyone else from entering. Believe me when I tell you, we are safe in here."

Keith sighed, unsure if her words were true. If Lotor got through the planet...he shook his thoughts away. Hazar was in charge now and the Drule could hold his own. All he knew was that they needed to get to the compound sooner than later. He felt very cold all of a sudden.

"Will you be alright?" Merla asked, feeling goose bumps rising on her skin.

"Only if you know how to get to that base," he answered solemnly.

"I do," she nodded. "But, I don't know if you'll be able to take the walking. It's a long path."

"We have no choice. We can't stay on this ship. After the heating system dies, the temperatures alone in this area will kill us in a matter of hours. We need to start moving into the inner portions of the caves."

"You're right. The deeper we go, the warmer it will get, but we'll still need some heating suits," she told him as she walked over to a storage compartment within the ship and retrieved two silver colored heating suits. "Let me help you put it on," she asked him.

It took a few minutes, but Keith managed to put the suit on. "We better start heading out to make it as close to the base as possible by nightfall."

"Right," she nodded, "Let's go."

VVVVVVVVVV

Lance and Hunk finished searching the base unsuccessfully. It didn't help that the walk back to the lions was quieter than Lance would have wanted. Hunk hadn't said a word. He looked defeated, worried, and downright scared. Lance knew he thought the worst.

"Hunk…don't give up on him," Lance tried to comfort his friend, "Keith still needs us to be strong if we're going to…"

"I know," Hunk answered unsure. "I know." He didn't want to hear anything. He needed to think. Think of something…anything that they hadn't thought before. Something they had overlooked, something unforeseen. Hunk sighed in frustration.

They arrived back at their lions. Lance hadn't even strapped in when he heard Allura's voice, "Where do we go now?"

"Home."

"What!" Allura shouted, "I'm not leaving without him, Lance. I will not!"

"He's not here, Allura," he tried to reason with her, "The report was wrong."

"You told me he was there!" Allura challenged, "Didn't you find one person who could at least help us…give us some information? Tell me Lance, what the hell did you find in there?"

Quietly, Lance held his tongue for a moment before he spoke, "No one who could help us."

"What?" Hunk suddenly asked in disbelief. Something about Lance's tone made him question him, "What do you mean by that?"

A feeling of uneasiness crept all over his body. Lance knew his reply would ignite an argument among his team, "They were weak, unconscious…we wouldn't have been able to do anything for them."

"The hell we couldn't!" Darrell suddenly said, "Lance, how could you…"

"Do you think that was easy for me?" the lieutenant interrupted Darrell with a shout. "They were dying or as good as dead anyways! I helped one of them the best I could," he told them, remembering the man he had help inside. The one he had reservations about. Taking any one of them would have set us back. Our mission was to find Keith and only him."

"But we didn't!" Hunk stated, "We could have done something for them. We could have saved them. Keith would have wanted…."

Sighing, "There wasn't any time!" Lance's teeth gritted with disdain. "Now, I am the acting commander until Keith gets back and damn it, I am trying my best!" he shouted so loud, they all fell silent. Hearing the stillness and quiet he had brought to the group, Lance sighed again loudly, "Guys…this isn't easy for me. I'm telling you the truth, there was no time to save them, I had to make a decision and we were still searching for Keith then."

No one said a word. They continued in silence all the way home.

VVVVVVVVVV

Even though they had gained some distance to get to the base, both Keith and Merla knew they had a lot of ground to cover before they could call it a day. They had left their ship behind about two hours before, taking with them the first aid supplies and some dried dehydrated food they found in a compartment. It amazed Keith that the further they walked, it didn't become dark.

The path was about a quarter of a mile wide. The walls were made out of a thick stone, but when he touched the dark brown, rough walls, the texture was that of ice. Even more surprising was that the walls emitted amber light that lit their pathway. The entire mountain seemed unreal and if Keith's leg wasn't hurting him as much as it was, he would have studied the structure further.

"This mountain is man made," he stated as he looked around. His voice echoed throughout the corridor.

"A part of it," Merla corrected him. "The exterior of it is all natural. However, we were able to build inside the mountain. There are different pathways within the mountain that lead to the base. This area of Aven is cold all year long, the snow helps cover the areas were construction took place. No one would ever think a base was inside a mountain."

"This is…incredible." Keith stated, amazed by what he had seen from the Drules of Aven. They were beyond smart; they would revolutionize the entire galaxy…_if we would just give them a chance, _he thought. "How far are we from the base?"

His voice did not reflect too much of the pain he must have felt, he hid it well. But, Merla knew he was in pain. "I wish I could tell you better news. About a day away if we continue walking. With your leg the way it is, it may take us double that?"

"Great," Keith answered resigned. "If you don't mind, can we walk for about an hour and rest for fifteen?"

"That would be fine," the queen nodded.

"I'm sorry I'm slowing us down," Keith told her as they walked. He limped heavily, but still managed to walk at a strong pace.

Merla knew it wouldn't last long; he'd crash at some point. She also knew they needed to gain some ground before that happened. "This isn't your fault, Captain. I'm happy we ended up here instead of…."

"Being captured by Lotor," Keith finished for her. "Why don't we take our first break in five minutes, we need to check on the food supplies in that bag."

"Sure," she nodded, "It will also give you a chance to rest."

VVVVVVVVV

Hazar walked around the castle, surveying the damaged areas to make sure security and other devices were up and functioning. Lotor and his remaining ships had left Aven hours before, but not without causing plenty of damage to the castle and its surroundings. The only comfort to Hazar, was that the cities had been unscathed. Very little damage was done to them and there were no casualties.

The damage around the castle would be fixed within a couple of months, that didn't worry him either. The chances that Lotor would be back would be slim. Iliena had been the only loophole in the entire security system, but she was no more.

As the commander continued his walk through the hallways, signing off approval of orders from some of his soldiers, he couldn't stop thinking about Merla and Keith. He hoped they would be alright. Looking down the hallway, he found Rhyse walking toward him.

"I just checked on Cossack again," he began.

"Has he told you anything?" Hazar asked as he met up with him.

Rhyse shook his head, "He's been quiet since I put him inside the cell. I'm pretty sure he knows Lotor's abandoned him."

Without a care for Cossack, Hazar gestured to Rhyse, "Come back to control with me. I have a job for you." The men turned down the hallway.

"What about Cossack? What are you going to do with him?"

"We'll transfer him to the Detention Center on Malek after we're done with him," Hazar answered solemnly. He hated to let go of his captive, but one way or another Zarkon would want him back and he couldn't risk giving them a reason to attack Aven once more.

"I'm not sure you'll get much out of the guy," Rhyse responded. "He's completely shut down."

"Anyone would if they were abandoned in enemy territory," Hazar snorted.

"I'm not sure it's that," Rhyse shrugged. "I think he really felt something for Iliena. He keeps repeating her name."

"Please!" the commander snorted. "Iliena was a means to an end for him. Nothing more. Do not worry, I'll take care of Cossack when the time comes. Right now, I need you to start your new assignment immediately."

"Where am I going this time?" Rhyse asked with curiosity.

"Planet Doom."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I apologize for my delay. It has totally been my fault. I could say the famous phrase, "Life has gotten in the way," but I'd be lying. Life doesn't get in the way, our inefficient time managing skills do! LOL. Anyways, I will make it a point to post more frequently. I'm dying to get my new fic up! ;)

I do hope you are enjoying Choices. It's going to get a bit more complicated from here! Hugs!

Chapter 14—A Little Bit More About Me

The hours passed quickly as they walked through the mountain. Despite his injury, Keith and Merla made good time and according to the queen, they had about one more day of walking left. Deep into the day, Merla noticed Keith moved much slower than before and with less ease. She decided to stop for the day and rest. After they found a comfortable place down the pathway, they sat around the fire they had created, ate the rations for the day and hydrated themselves with whatever water they had left, which wasn't much by that point.

Both sat around the fire silently, until Merla felt someone watching her. She looked up and found Keith staring at her. His dark eyes studying her features with keen interest, "What are you looking at?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of my staring," he answered, suddenly looking away from her. "I was just wondering."

"About what?"

"About you," he half smiled. "Just you."

Merla remained quiet for a while before answering, "What would you like to know?"

He shrugged looking back at her, "Anything you want to tell me."

Sighing, she began, "Well, I took over my kingdom after my father's death at around fifteen or so…"

"No," Keith shook his head interrupting her, "I mean, I was wondering what makes you so different from other Drules."

"Am I…different?" Merla asked curiously, "How so?"

"Well, my experiences with those from the Drule Kingdoms have often been quite challenging. But, you've shown me another side."

"What side would that be?" she smiled mischievously.

He shrugged and thought for a moment before answering her, "Nice."

At that Merla laughed, "Commander, you really have a big misconception of us Drules. But if it makes you feel any better, you've also shown me another side of humans."

"And that would be?" he asked as he coughed a bit.

"Fairness. I never thought humans to be fair in anything," she replied. "But, maybe I speak in error, maybe this trait is a characteristic of only you."

Keith smiled, "I believe that everyone should deserve an opportunity." He began coughing harshly, but then recovered and looked back to the queen.

"Even Drules?" she raised her brow in question.

He nodded. "Even Drules."

"Where did you get those…ideals?"

"My father. He was a very religious man on Earth," Keith, for a moment looked lost in his thoughts, but continued, "My father once told me the definition of man was vague to some, but very clear to him."

Merla listened with interest.

"He was told as a child, that God created man in his image. Well, if no one had seen God, then it was safe to say that he could look like a Terran, or a Drule, or look like any living species with intellect. '_Who's to say Keith_,' he'd tell me. Point was that to him, God created all living things. There was no preference in his eyes, no concept of who was the better race, no decision of who should lead. So, if God didn't decide what man should be then, why should we? Everyone has a chance to impact the universe."

"Smart man," Merla answered.

Keith nodded, "Very. I miss him. He passed the year after I graduated from the academy. He taught me a lot about life."

"How about your mother? How was she?" the queen asked, enthralled now to know more about his family.

"She left my dad when I was five. I don't remember much of her, only that she remarried and lives in the south of France."

"You wouldn't want to reunite with her again?"

Keith shook his head, "No. My mother made her mind up about us a long time ago. I've left the doors open, though. She has authority to see my record, and where the Garrison has placed me on duty should she ever want to contact me." It was then that he started coughing a bit harder. Merla stood up and walked to where he sat.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a worried tone as she sat next to him.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Might be catching a cold. It's pretty drafty in these caves. Good call on the thermal suits." Gathering his strength, he changed the subject to her, "So, what about your parents?"

Sighing, she answered, "My mother died at childbirth, and my father past when I was fifteen, that's when I took reign."

"I was aware of that," Keith responded, "Hazar had mentioned it to me."

She smiled sadly at him, "My father was an extremely tough man to get along with. Throughout my life, I had to work so hard just to get one simple act of appreciation for my efforts. As I grew up, I never thought he loved me. But, the one thing I knew of my father was that he loved my mother immensely. I think a part of him died the day she did."

The queen sighed deeply. Keith figured she rarely spoke of the subject since she struggled to say as much as she did so far. She finally continued, "I know that he would have wanted a son, but my mother gave him no choice over the matter after her death. He never remarried. I think that's what proved to me how much love he had for her. He couldn't replace her and didn't." This time she smiled as she reminisced about her past, "Anyway, he never saw me as those young princesses who should wear the long dresses, learn to dance or find a prince by age eighteen. He saw me as a leader and a soldier, the way Drules see their sons."

"I guess he brought you up very firmly," Keith answered as he listened to her, engrossed in the story.

Merla shrugged, "He was determined to make me better than his peer's male children and he succeeded." She smiled, "I am proud of that." She stopped speaking and just thought about her words and what they meant.

Keith could see where she was heading, "You never felt truly loved by him, did you?"

Her eyes moved swiftly back to him then Merla sighed, "I know that he loved me in his own way. But I think my father was more enthralled with making sure I made him a success in front of others than actually showing some type of affection."

"Well…if it makes you feel any better, I think he did a wonderful job."

"Why do you say that?" she asked curiously.

Sitting up a bit, Keith answered, "Because, somewhere in between, without you knowing, he made you a very different person, quite unique and special. Maybe neither of you realized it, but that was his way of showing you how much love he had for you. He left you with a rare gift that other women from royal lines would never have."

"And what's that?"

"Intelligence, fairness, courage and passion…he left you the gift of leadership. That was his gift of love to you, Merla."

"I never thought about it that way, Captain," she smiled. "I guess my father did love me more than I thought."

"Guess so, your Majesty."

They fell in a comfortable silence, lying next to each other until sleep overtook them, guiding them to the next day and hopefully the place they searched for.

VVVVVVVVVV

Merla awoke to the sounds of rapid breathing. She sat up and watched as Keith struggled to rise. Immediately, she went to him, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not feeling too well," he answered as he stripped off the suit to check the leg wound. Unwrapping the tourniquet, he sighed heavily, "Damn, it's infected."

Merla noticed aside from his rapid breathing, that Keith was bathed in sweat despite the cold temperature in the cavern. Making a decision, she said, "Stay here, I'll make it to base and bring a transport back to get you."

He shook his head, "I have to keep moving." He rewrapped the wound and pulled on the suit again, "Need….to….keep moving."

"Keith, you can barely stand on that leg," Merla reasoned, her tone revealing her worry. She mentally questioned if he was growing delirious from the fever.

"Have…to," he answered, before beginning to cough hard.

Merla helped him up and put his arm over her shoulder, trying to support his weight, "The base is about fifteen miles from here. Less than a day's worth, even with your bad leg. You think you can make it?"

Keith smiled weakly, "No…choice."

"Come on," the queen replied. "I'll carry part of your weight. We'll take it slow, let me know when you need a break to rest."

Keith nodded, "Alright, let's…get going."

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura walked aimlessly around her bedroom. She hadn't thought it would take this long to get Keith back. Worse, she wasn't sure Lotor wouldn't lay his hands on him if he had a chance to. Captive for almost three days, the princess knew Lotor wouldn't contain his anger. She wondered if Keith was bleeding in some god forsaken cell. She shook her head in frustration. "This is my fault," she whispered to herself.

The princess walked over to her vanity, sat down and looked at herself in the mirror. She noticed her tired, pale features, the sadness embedded on her face. About to put on some powder to make herself a bit more decent, her gaze suddenly fell on a close up picture of Keith and her. Darrell had taken it at one of the town festivals. Neither one of them saw him taking the picture. They faced each other, Keith caressing her cheek as she smiled.

She picked up the frame that held the picture and cried. "Keith…I miss you…" The princess cried a bit more putting the frame down and wiping her tears away. She took a moment to compose herself and then stood up. Walking up to her vidscreen, she connected to the control room. A guard on duty came up on screen. "Connect me to Doom," she ordered harshly.

"Right away, your Highness."

Within moments, the guard came up again, "I have established contact with Doom, Princess, if you want…"

"Just patch it here to my room," she answered harshly.

"But Princess…" the guard began to warn her. Per Keith's orders, no transmission from Doom were allowed to be transferred anywhere in the castle outside the control room. The less Lotor knew of the castle, the better.

"Just do it!" she blasted him.

Giving up, the guard nodded, curtly. Within seconds, Lotor appeared on the screen. "Princess Allura…"

"I want him back, Lotor. Today. Your games are over!" she cut into him. He saw the fury in her eyes, her hardened features and disgust toward him in her tone. "I'm done waiting for you. If you don't return Keith to me by the end of today, I will take Voltron and will destroy anything and everything that gets in my way at Doom. I don't care about protocol, or treaties, or alliances…fuck it all. I want Keith back, today!"

With a serious look, he answered her, "Whatever happened to diplomacy? What happened to…"

"You know, I've never cared for it," she answered as she cut him off. "What's it going to be, Lotor? Keith or the destruction of daddy's little castle?"

"Believe me when I tell you, that nothing would give me more pleasure than to keep your esteemed captain and rip his lungs out. It would be such a wonderful sight to see him die," Lotor laughed a bit.

"You bastard!" Allura sneered.

"Unfortunately," he dismissed her condescending tone, "I won't have that pleasure. I don't have him…never did." Lotor shrugged as he finished.

Incredulous, the princess' eyes widened as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"What you heard Allura, I don't have him, I never did. I made you believe I had, but, I lied." Lotor smiled without an inkling of sympathy towards her.

"But…but that's not…"

"I know," the prince responded with a bit of annoyance in his tone, "I tried to get him back, but my efforts proved futile."

"Then, if you don't have him…who?" Allura walked up to the screen.

"Merla," Lotor answered her with an ironic laugh, "She's had him all along."

VVVVVVVVV

As she helped him walk, Merla could hear Keith stressed breathing. When she looked at him, he was pale and sweating profusely despite the cold conditions around them. They took their breaks every half hour or so, but Merla noticed that it took him longer each time to get back on track. "We should stop and rest," she suggested.

He shook his head, "The faster we get to…the base…the better my chances… are."

"Keith, we are closer now. Stay here, I'll go find help." She was worried now. Before he joked and talked to her. Within the last hour, he had become eerily quiet.

"Did I tell you the time….I saved Hazar's ass?" he asked finally, speaking after a long moment of silence. Despite his condition, Keith could tell she was worried, "I promise….it's…a…hell of a story."

Sighing in relief, Merla humored him, "Fine."

"I met him a few years….before my post on Arus." They kept walking slowly. Merla supported even more of his weight…she didn't know if he realized how much he was leaning on her. He coughed a bit before continuing. "I was on assignment at Mora running surveillance…on a Doom base that…Zarkon had been building."

"Hazar was there for the same purpose," Merla remembered, "I sent him there to do just that."

"Did…he tell you…what happened?"

She smiled, "Well, he told me his version. How he saved your ass and all."

He laughed and coughed, "Damn bastard."

Merla smiled, "So enlighten me, what happened?"

Swallowing hard, Keith continued, "Hazar got a bit cocky by getting too close to the base. He…was caught by Zarkon's soldiers." He paused a bit before continuing, "He didn't know…but I had caught him as well when he entered the planet…two days after I did. I was…running surveillance on him…as well."

"Funny, he told me quite the opposite."

Keith snorted, "Sometimes I think he's even cockier than Lance. Anyways…when they caught him…I knew that he was in trouble…the way the soldiers treated him was different from how they treated other spies."

"How so?" Merla asked curiously. Keith coughed again, hard. He would have collapsed if Merla hadn't held on to him, "Keith, we need to stop…only for a minute so you can rest."

He shook his head, "No…"

"Damn you. Are you always this stubborn?" she asked in frustration.

"I've…been told."

Merla sighed, "Well, you won't play that game with me, Captain Kogane. I mean it, let's just rest five minutes," the queen ordered as she walked over one of the walls of the cave and used it as a support to slide Keith down to the ground. He looked worse. She had to get him to the base soon before he passed out, "Tell me, what happened to Hazar back at Mora?"

"Huh?" he asked as if not know what she was talking about.

"Mora, you saved Hazar…"

He smiled a bit, "Did I tell you I saved his ass?"

_Shit,_ the queen thought, _he's becoming delirious_. "You were telling me about Hazar being caught by Zarkon's soldiers."

Keith nodded remembering, "Oh yeah…umm…they treated him differently."

"How so?"

"Zarkon doesn't allow captured spies to be beaten by his soldiers…he likes to do that himself," Keith coughed again, "Hazar was beaten immediately…that meant that Zarkon knew who he was and wanted him killed." Keith paused a moment before speaking again, "Also, most of Zarkon's spies were not Drule…it didn't add up. Rumors of Drules working against Zarkon were floating around during that time…Hazar's beating proved to me they were true. I had to find out more."

Interested, Merla asked, "What did you do?"

Keith closed his eyes for a moment and fought to keep them open once he opened them, "I…waited, hoping they wouldn't kill him till I made my move…I hoped that Zarkon would want to keep him for information. That night…I broke into the base and rescued him." He laughed a bit, "Damn bastard…thought I was going…to kill him and fought me. Took more time…to convince him I was helping him…than leaving all together."

"I heard all hell broke loose that night." The queen tried to keep him talking as much as she could. She was failing to win the battle.

Keith nodded, "Yeah…but we were long gone…by then. I'm sure Zarkon…decapitated most of his soldiers…that night. We became friends after that." He closed his eyes after that for a while.

"Keith?" Merla whispered after studying his face for a moment. She couldn't dismiss his beautiful features, his dark hair falling down his brows, his flushed white cheeks. With her hand, she caressed his cheek before gently pulling back the hair away from his eyes, "Keith?"

He opened them slowly and looked into her eyes. With a gentle smile, he whispered back to her, "You're so…beautiful," before he completely lost consciousness.

Surprised by the sudden statement, Merla pulled a bit away from him. She thought he'd open his eyes again, apologize for his statement, tell her the fever was getting to him. Instead, his eyes remained closed.

"Keith?" Merla tried to shake him awake, to no avail. "Shit!" she exclaimed as she stood. Beginning to turn, she decided to run the rest of the way to the base. About to go, she suddenly heard a vehicle approaching, within minutes it came into view. Merla was even more surprised by what she saw. It was one of the base's vehicles approaching her. Once the car stopped two guards quickly got out.

"Are you alright, your Majesty?" one of them asked.

"I'm fine," she nodded, ignoring the headache she had had since the prior day, "But the captain needs medical assistance right away."

The men quickly looked over at the human, picked him up and took him inside the vehicle. Once all were in, Merla addressed one of the men, "I thought you were not allowed to leave the base?"

"We know, Majesty. Just this morning we found out it was you who crashed within the mountain in yesterday's attack. My partner and I took it upon ourselves to look for you. We didn't know if you were hurt and couldn't wait for you to get to us."

"I see," she nodded in understanding.

Quiet for a moment the other guard finally responded, "We are prepared to take any repercussions for our actions."

Merla sighed and shook her head, "Nothing will be done, gentlemen," she turned and looked over at Keith sitting next to her, "Thank you for saving us."


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for all your well wishes and support. FYI. Merla and Keith are getting closer than you think! ;)

Chapter 15-Contingency Plans

Allura walked into the control room, a determined woman. Her walk confident, her features stern, her eyes cold. "Have you connected to Aven, Coran?" she asked the advisor sitting at the console.

"Yes, your Highness, we should connect in a few seconds," the older man responded as he keyed in the codes. The rest of the force began arriving in control as Coran entered the final codes to establish communication. "We're connected, Princess."

"Patch Aven through," she ordered, looking at the blank vidscreen.

Within moments, Commander Hazar appeared on the screen. "Good evening, Princess Allura."

Allura curtly nodded, "Good evening, Commander Hazar," she answered with a serious tone, "Tell me, how long were you planning on keeping my fiancé captive in your planet?"

Shocked, he countered, "Whatever do you mean, Princess? Keith has not been kept captive here. As a matter of fact…"

"I don't want to listen to your explanations," she cut him off, "Don't waste my time. I want my fiancé back."

Hazar shook his head, "Princess, I'm not sure why you believe the captain was held captive. You spoke to Keith just last night and he explained everything to you. We waited for your arrival, but…" the commander paused for a second realizing what may have occurred the day prior, "Lotor."

"What do you mean?" Allura asked. Her cold eyes could have melted the vidscreen in front of her.

Hazar sighed, "Lotor must have somehow tricked us into believing you were coming. Instead, he attacked yesterday."

"I'm hoping that you are all well?" she asked with apathy.

"We are well," Hazar responded, dismissing her lack of interest. "Unfortunately, Captain Kogane was shot down while saving the queen. They have crashed in the mountains of Jura."

"Is he alright?" her tone instantly changed into one of panic.

He paused for a moment before answering, "I haven't heard from them yet, but we hope…."

Allura cut her off by laughing at him, "You hope? You're all fucking insane! Why haven't you looked for him?"

Lance looked at the princess in surprise, "Allura!"

She ignored him, "What are you planning on doing, Commander Hazar?"

Hazar seethed, but he refused to show his aversion to the ice princess, "Princess Allura, we are sure they are alright. The queen knows the area well. I'm hoping that she'll contact us tonight with news."

"This is utterly ridiculous! I'm coming there to get him. And by the Gods Commander, if he's hurt in any way, you will all live to regret it!" Without waiting for a response from him, Allura cut him off. Turning to the rest of her group, she addressed them, "Go get ready, we leave in an hour."

"Allura, think this through," Coran interrupted. "You are acting without thinking. Aven is two days away… it won't matter if you leave now. I think we should wait until Keith contacts us."

"Coran…" she started.

"He's a very capable pilot," Coran stressed, "If Commander Hazar is willing to wait for the queen, then it is safe to say that he feels they are alright."

"You mean to tell me, we're not going to get him?" Hunk whispered to the men close to him.

"Shh..." Lance replied, trying to listen to Allura.

"They have him Coran…how can you make me wait for him?" Allura answered with venom in her voice.

"The Summit is a few days away. The pre-summit hearings start tomorrow," Coran continued reasoning, "It is important that you prepare for it as well. Keith knows what he's doing, wait for him, Allura."

The princess became quiet and pensive for a long moment before letting out a sigh. Still angry, she finally nodded, "Fine. We'll do it your way."

"What the hell, Allura!" Lance suddenly shouted, "We need to rescue Keith!"

Allura turned to face him, "Don't you think I want to, Lance? She has him! But I can't run the risk of leaving Arus unprotected especially since the Summit meets here in a few days."

"We don't have to leave Arus unprotected," Lance argued, "Two of us can go to Aven and two of us can stay. But we can't just leave him! For God's sake Allura, he'd never do this to you!"

The princess' anger increased, "I know he wouldn't. But Lance, I won't risk it! He'll understand."

"The hell he will!" Lance turned and headed to the chutes, "I'm going to get him myself then."

Allura ran to him, "The hell you will! You will stand down, Lieutenant!"

Lance sneered at her, "You don't care about him!" He shook his head with disbelief as he continued to glare at the princess.

"Of course I do." she answered coldly as she closed her eyes. "I care...but Arus and this Summit meeting are more important right now and Keith would agree," she turned to face the rest of the group. "All of you, he'll contact us. Right now we need to work on protecting Arus. The pre summit hearings start tomorrow and we will be at high level alert until it is over. I will plan a rescue mission after it is over if Keith isn't back. I'm sure that won't be the case."

"I'm starting to think you're the one who's insane, you know that." Lance sputtered before he left the room. The others just looked at her, and left behind the lieutenant.

The princess stood staring at them as they walked out. Nodding to herself, she was suddenly caught off guard by Coran's words, "Allura, this isn't the way to do things," the advisor began. "You could have been a bit more…empathetic about the situation in front of them."

She rolled her eyes. Thinking about it, Allura decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep Keith on Aven anyway. He would be safe and away from final decisions the hearings would make. "The Summit leaders will arrive on Arus in a couple of days. I think…" She began contemplating, calculating. Then with a smile, she looked at Coran.

"What are you thinking, Allura?"

"Just make sure you back me, Coran. I have to make sure the Summit agrees with me. And, I have to make sure that I destroy every Drule, everyone damn one of them!"

The old advisor looked at her in question, "Just what are you up to Allura?

VVVVVVVVV

When Keith opened his eyes, he found himself in a room somewhat reminiscent of an infirmary. The room had stainless steel walls all around, no windows, and harsh fluorescent lighting. A white blanket covered him. He was warm and he felt good despite the coldness of the room.

Using his arm to push himself up, he watched as Merla walked into the room. "Hello," she smiled, "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly good…" he answered while looking at her. The queen appeared refreshed, her eyes shined, her complexion no longer looked as stressed as he had seen her look in the cave. Remembering the events from two days ago, he touched his injured leg. Moving it, he found that didn't hurt or bother him in any way. "This is impossible."

He pulled the blanket off of him and checked his leg. It was as if nothing had happened to him. "I don't understand."

"As soon as you came in, we put you in the stasis tank. The tank is designed to regenerate and reconstruct tissue faster. In other words, it regenerated the broken tissue in your leg and sealed the wound," the queen smiled satisfactorily, "You're as good as new, Captain."

With a tone of disbelief, Keith asked, "A stasis tank? You have a tank… that heals people?"

"Any living organism," she corrected him, "I can show it to you. But first, you should rest the leg for a bit. It's still healing from the session."

"How did we get to the base? I don't remember making it here," Keith asked her as he carefully stretched his leg.

"Well, my soldiers defied orders…" Merla began, "I'm kind of glad they did."

Nodding, the commander answered, "Me too."

She had wanted to ask him about what he had told her before he slipped into unconsciousness, but was afraid to ask. This feeling of nervousness bothered the queen. It was something she'd never felt before with anyone and she certainly didn't want to feel it in regards to the captain. She couldn't allow herself to experience fear. Drumming up the courage, she moved forward with the question, "Keith,"

He looked at her. Merla smiled nervously before asking, "Do you remember anything before…you…blacked out?"

Keith looked at her in question before shaking his head, "No. Should I?" He grew alarmed, his eyes shown with his nervousness, "Did I do something that might have…"

"No!" she cut him off quickly, "Nothing. I was just worried…you weren't well for a little while."

He relaxed a bit, his features showing her that he agreed with what she had just said, "Thank you for helping me," Keith volunteered with a smile. Merla smiled back. Goodness, how she loved that smile of his.

"You're welcome," she sighed, a sudden awkward silence fell between them before she spoke out, "How about some dinner? I'll bring something in for us." Merla turned toward the door when he stopped her.

"How are things back at the castle?" he asked, concerned.

She shrugged. Merla had wanted to mention that Allura had contacted Hazar. The queen had finally established communication with her commander a few hours after his discussion with the princess of Arus. But part of her didn't want to divulge the message just yet. Allura was beyond angry and if Keith knew, he probably would want to contact her immediately. She couldn't allow the base to be jeopardized. She would have him contact the Arusian princess once they returned to the castle.

"Some damage. Hazar told me it isn't anything we can't fix. Few casualties…including Iliena." Her tone changed a bit at the mention of her assistant. "After we have dinner and if the doctor clears you, we can take a small craft underground back to the castle." Merla then turned and left.

Alone again, Keith looked at his leg once more, noting that not even a scar was left on the once injured leg. "Unbelievable," he whispered. "What the hell kind of place is this?"

VVVVVVVVVV

After finishing dinner, Merla took Keith on a tour of the facilities they would call home for the evening. The doctor decided that Keith should stay overnight for observation. During the evening, he met with Merla's scientists and discussed all the technology and inventions that they had created during the years since the base had been established.

They created a portal that allowed transportation from one world to another without the use of starships or spacecrafts. They also created what they called a stasis tank that allowed regeneration of skin, tissues and body parts for any living organism. The scientists also built weapons that awed the captain to a point of leaving him speechless when they asked for his thoughts.

He was sure there was more to see, but the scientists had only shown him the inventions they wanted him to see. Many more treasures stayed hidden within the realms of the base. He was amazed that such a small planet could hold technological advances that would completely change the universe. They had brilliant minds and Keith saw so many possibilities, so many things that could be achieved if they would only work together to bring Zarkon down.

After the meeting, Keith went back to the room they had provided for him. Unable to sleep, he began putting together a plan of action to present at the Summit. There would be no way he'd turn his back on the opportunity to work with Merla and her people. He'd do anything and everything to make sure Aven would have a place not only at the Summit, but with the Alliance as well.

VVVVVVVVV

Despite the fact that Keith was on Aven, Allura slept soundly for the first time in days. Having him being held captive by Lotor worried her a great deal, but in Aven, she knew he'd be safe. Her only concern was that she didn't want him to be too influenced by the ridiculous notion that Merla wanted peace among the Drule and human races. _What utter rubbish,_ she told herself before going to bed.

Wanting neither Merla nor Keith to ruin her plans, an idea came to fruition in the Control Room after she spoke to Hazar. She wasted no time to put it into action. In her office, she used her vidscreen and punched in the codes to contact Galaxy Garrison. A young man answered within moments, "Your Highness, it's a pleasure to speak to you."

"Thank you, Private," she answered with a cool smile. "I'd like to speak to Marshall Graham, please?"

"Certainly Princess Allura," the young man stated. A minute or two passed by before an older looking man appeared on the screen. With his white hair and beard, he offered a kind smile as a greeting to the Princess of Arus.

"It's great seeing you again, Marshall," Allura answered with a gentle voice.

"The pleasure is all mine, Princess. I'm waiting the days when I see you and Captain Kogane."

Her smile faltered and a worried expression spread across her face as she stared at the older man, "Well, that is why I've contacted you sir, I'm afraid Keith has been captured by the Drules."

The man's face paled, "What? How?"

"It was some type of trick brought up by Queen Merla of Planet Aven. They led us into believing that they wanted to work and ally themselves with Galaxy Garrison and the Alliance and work with us to defeat Zarkon."

Graham looked at her surprised, "I…I can't believe it. Keith had been telling me that Aven was leading a resistance against Zarkon and his forces."

Allura shook her head. "You both were wrong. With the help of Lotor, she captured Keith. Both she and the prince have been working together all this time, tricking us. They made us believe that Keith was at Doom. Of course our rescue missions proved disastrous because Keith has been held captive at Aven all this time."

"Is he still at Aven?"

"Yes, but we are preparing for a rescue mission there as well. We're leaving today," she continued lying. "I'm asking you that if Aven contacts you in regards to joining the Summit, to please take precaution. I'm warning you."

Nodding in agreement, Graham answered, "I'll take our conversation as a warning. Do you need any additional help from us?"

"No," she shook her head. "I'm sure we'll be alright. Please, whatever happens, you must not let Merla join the Summit or the pre-hearings."

"Do not worry, Princess," he responded with confidence, "I'll see to that."

She paused for a bit before continuing, "I'm…not even sure if they've done something to Keith. "

"What do you mean?"

With her face stricken with worry, Allura continued, "I've heard that Drules have mind control abilities…I'm worried that somehow…maybe they've altered his thoughts." Allura shook her head in sorrow.

Graham sighed with regret. "I'm sure that whatever they've done to Keith can be undone. We'll find a way," the older man answered while nodding. "Please contact me as soon as you have news on the captain."

"Will do sir. Thank you so much."

"Good luck. Keep me posted," he answered before Allura cut off communication.

Turning the vidscreen off, the princess looked across the room as her advisor sat and listened to the conversation. "I think we've have them where we want them."

"Are you positively sure?"

"Merla won't be allowed to join the Summit by any means after this," she answered as her mind still raced with more thoughts.

"What about Keith?"

"We'll I'm sure that we can come up with something, right? I mean, he's been brainwashed, I'm sure Dr. Gorma can help him medically," she looked at him coolly.

"Right," he nodded.


	16. Chapter 16

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the delay. I'm falling half asleep, ha ha. So if I misspelled, I apologize. This was an interesting chapter. hope you like it.

Chapter 16-The Next Day

After showering, Keith walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist. Walking over to the closet, he found a black jumpsuit, the standard attire that everyone used at the base. Pulling it out, he walked over to a small dresser where he found some intimates neatly sealed in a see-through plastic bag. "They think of everything here, don't they?" he told himself, amused. About to get dressed, he suddenly heard the door of his room open. Merla walked in and immediately turned around when she found the captain undressed.

"Oh!" she almost shouted, "I'm so sorry, Captain. I was told that you were ready to see me. I'm so, so sorry!"

Keith felt amused by her sudden shyness, a characteristic he had not yet seen in her. He felt a small laugh make its way out of his mouth. "That would be my fault, your Majesty. I did tell them I was ready, but I was distracted finishing the proposal for the Summit."

When she listened to the last statement, Merla turned around, the sudden shyness temporarily vanished, "What did you say?"

Smiling, Keith replied, "Let me finish getting dressed and I'll show you."

"Sure. Of course," Merla suddenly remembered, "I'll come back in a few minutes."

"No, I'll change in the bathroom quick. The proposal is on that table over there," Keith responded as he pointed to a small table with a computer on a corner of the room. "Read it over and let me know your thoughts. I'll be back in a few," he finished as he picked up his clothes and headed toward the bathroom.

Once he left the room, Merla immediately went to the computer and pressed the button to take the computer out of sleep mode. Within seconds, she viewed the document on screen. She continued reading, completely enthralled with the proposed ideas that Keith had suggested in order to establish Aven as a great contributor to the Alliance. "This is amazing," Merla said aloud.

"What?" Keith called out from the bathroom.

"I…I think this is incredible," the shocked queen responded.

When Keith walked out of the bathroom, aside from his clothes, he wore a smile that she didn't think she had ever seen on him, "You agree with everything?" he asked.

Nodding, she responded, "So far yes. When did you draft this proposal?"

"Last night after I came back to the room," he answered. "I couldn't sleep so, I figured I make the time more productive."

"Did you feel ill?" she asked worriedly.

"No," Keith immediately shook his head, "Not at all. It's just that after what I saw last night, I believe that Aven will be an asset to the Alliance. We'd be fools not to accept you."

Merla smiled, "You really believe that?"

He nodded, "Yes, and I intend to make sure that this proposal is heard by the Garrison and the rest of the members of the Alliance."

VVVVVVVVV

An underground craft transported them back to the castle midday, after both worked on the draft by adding on more discussion points for the members of the Alliance before finalizing the proposal.

Once back at the castle, Hazar briefed Merla on Rhyse's whereabouts.

"When did he leave?" Merla asked.

"A few hours after Lotor left," Hazar replied, "I'm hoping he finds anything that might help us."

"What do you mean?" Keith questioned.

Looking sternly at the commander, he answered, "There's a reason that Lotor has been coming after you…the Summit. There's something he doesn't want you to share with the members of the Alliance or he's preventing you from being there. I want to know what it is."

"I can't imagine what." Keith shook his head, "I can understand the reason why he might be after Merla, not wanting her to be part of the Alliance, but me….I don't have or know anything that he doesn't already know or suspect."

"There must be something Keith," Hazar repeated. "I'm hoping Rhyse will find out for us."

"Well, whatever it is, we need to make sure that we present your proposal to the Alliance and fast." Keith stated as he turned to Merla. "The Summit takes place five days from now, you'll present then."

"What about Allura?" Merla suddenly asked. "Truthfully, I don't think she wants this anymore than Lotor."

Hazar did not offer his thoughts. After his last meeting with the Princess of Arus, he had to agree with Merla. Allura didn't seem to want anything they could offer.

Keith sighed, "I know she seems hard, but Allura will help us. As soon as she sees what you can offer, she'll turn around."

"You have a lot of faith in her," Merla replied. _He is so blind._ _Why couldn't he see what she saw in that woman?_

"She's had a hard life," was the only thing Keith added before turning to Hazar, "Can we contact Arus now?"

Nodding, his friend replied, "Absolutely. Give me a minute."

Hazar walked to the controls and coded in the connection to Arus. Moments later the first person Keith saw on view was Hunk. The Yellow pilot's eyes widen with surprise. "Keith!" he almost shouted. "Thank God you're alright! We've been searching for you for days."

"I'm fine…" Keith started to say then paused. Eyebrows arched, he asked, "Hunk, what are you talking about? I spoke to Allura two days ago."

Hazar walked up to Keith to interject, "Not really."

Turning to the Drule, Keith asked, "What's going on Hazar?"

"I forgot to mention it to you, Lotor somehow made us believe that we spoke to the princess before he attacked. They've been looking for you since Lotor's first attack at Garrath."

Shocked, the captain then looked at his friend on the viscreen and spoke, "Hunk, I've been on Aven for the last five days."

"We just found out last night," Hunk nodded. "We're just glad you're alive."

"Where's Allura?"

"She's on her way. As soon as I saw the incoming signal, I went ahead and contacted her," Hunk answered before pausing for a moment. "Are you okay?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere and Hunk studied his captain with a questioning gaze.

Hazar rolled his eyes, thankful he was out of sight from the vidscreen. Allura seemed to be poisoning everyone on her end.

"Hunk, what the hell is wrong with you?" Keith asked, clearly annoyed.

About to answer, the big man was interrupted when Allura came in to the control room, "Keith. You're alright," she told him with a cold tone even though she tried to offer a kind smile, "Thank the Gods you're well."

Looking back at his future wife, the commander couldn't help studying the emotions that were going through him. He expected happiness; he expected a smile to form on his lips when he saw her. He felt nothing. Seeing Allura again made him feel claustrophobic. He felt a heavy weight on him; unease settled within the pit of his stomach. These were not the feelings he believed would come at seeing the woman he loved. "I'm well…sweetheart," he tried hiding the unease. "I'm glad you're alright too."

"Keith, I'm coming for you after the pre-hearings," she immediately told him, ignoring the others around him. Merla, about to speak, suddenly held back when Hazar gently held her arm. "The Summit meeting is four days away and I need you here by my side."

"I'd like the queen to at least address the members of the Alliance at the pre-hearing. Can you grant us a time later today? We can connect…"

"Absolutely not!" she cut him off, disgusted by the idea, "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because Aven has the right to do this!" he exclaimed. "The purpose of the hearings and the Summit is to give planets the opportunity to become members of the Alliance."

"I told you from the beginning that I didn't trust these…people," the princess argued. "I don't see a justification for allowing them to speak."

"I do," Keith countered, "I believe the members of the Alliance should hear the proposal that the queen and I have drafted for Aven. It will give them the opportunity to see the benefit of making Aven an ally."

"What did you do?" Allura's face grew into anger, "You wrote a proposal?"

He ignored her question, "Aven has a vast amount of resources that…."

"Keith! Have you gone insane?" the princess snapped back. "These…people, for lack of a better word, kidnapped you and have practically held you captive for days. You actually want to hold a place for them at the Summit?"

"Where did you get the idea I was even held captive?" Keith replied with a harsh tone. Trying to control himself, the commander paused gathering his thoughts, as he knew an argument with his fiancée would soon begin. "My understanding is that since Lotor's attack, he's been trying to keep me here for reasons I am not aware yet. I didn't contact you earlier because he found a way to break down communication outside of Aven. Once communication systems went back online, I believe he found a way to make me believe I had spoken to you. I never did."

"You didn't," she confirmed.

Nodding, the captain continued, "He attacked Aven two days ago. I think he was trying to capture me again. Would you know from your end why that would be?"

The princess shook her head. She had not muttered a word in reply or showed any sign of concern over what Keith had told her. Merla took note. She did not understand how Keith could love someone so cold.

"Now Allura, I need you to understand, Aven is not our enemy. Lotor and Doom are. If we come together, join force…."

"Oh goodness!" Allura gasped. "You….you've been brainwashed by these people."

Flabbergasted, Keith's voice rose, "Allura, what the hell has come over you!"

Merla, who couldn't stand it anymore, walked up next to Keith, "I will not stand and listen to your baseless accusations! We have in no way done anything to the captain!"

"You've seem to have put together a great plan, Merla," Allura shouted sarcastically. "You've made Keith believe all your lies, your deception." She shook her head in disbelief, "But not me." Turning to Hazar, the princess continued her blasphemy, "And you…he believes this so called friendship that is nothing more than a shameless attempt to mock his loyalty and his good nature."

"Allura!" Keith shouted back, "Nothing that you say is true."

"Please! I don't know what these two have done to you, Keith, but I won't stand by and watch it, I won't." Tears fell down the princess' face, "I'm coming for you, this charade is over."

"You will listen to me right now, Allura!" Keith's anger had risen to a level that Merla had never seen; this was a side of him she never thought possible. "I'm sick and tired of your perception of things and your attempts to manipulate every aspect of our lives. The queen and Hazar have done nothing more than to try to establish collaboration between both planets. If anything, it's you who's tried to stop this!"

"You're not yourself!"

"No, that's where you're wrong, Allura, I am!" Keith shouted back, "Are you going to help or do I have to go to Graham?"

"That won't do you any good," Allura answered. "I've spoken to Graham and told him how you've been…influenced by these people. By order of the Garrison, Aven and its entire population will be treated as enemies."

"You fucking bitch!" Merla shouted back. "How could you? You don't know anything about us!"

"I know enough!" the princess yelled angrily. Turning to back to her fiancé, she stated, "You're coming home to Arus, Keith. One way or another, you're coming home!" she finished before cutting communication.

"Allura!" Keith tried to stop her, but she was gone. Running his hands through his hair, a frustrated sigh escaped him.

"What do we do now?" Hazar quietly asked the pair.

"This is useless!" Merla turned to Hazar. "It's over. Call the members of the Resistance. We'll have to regroup."

"But…"

"Damn it Hazar!" she yelled at her friend, "Just do it! This is over…this was…useless," she finished as she stormed out of the Control Room.

Once gone, the Drule turned to the commander, "This isn't good. If the members hear this…everything we've all worked for…we can't go back to Zarkon, he'll destroy us."

"That's not going to happen," Keith answered calmly, lost in thought.

"When she get this way…"

Looking at his friend, Keith responded, "Don't worry…I'll talk to her. Don't do anything until I speak to you."

"I answer to her," Hazar reminded him.

"Do you really want to do what she asks?"

Hazar shook his head, "But…."

"Trust me. Give me time."

Sighing, Hazar answered, "Fine. Just…make this possible."

"I intend to," Keith told him before he walked out of the room.

VVVVVVVVV

Keith found Merla's back turned to him as he walked into her office. She heard him walk in, but had not bothered to turn around.

She looked at her vidscreen, tapping at some icons, purposely ignoring him. However, her harsh, irritated voice echoed back to him, "You are free to go as you wish. I am no longer holding you as my_ captive_ and if you'd like to go back to Arus, I won't stop you." The tone didn't intimidate Keith in any way.

Instead, he continued walking toward the queen. His own frustrations rose as he got closer and she continued to work on her vidscreen. Keith reached and grabbed her arm, turning her body to face him. "Why do you make things so difficult?" he seethed.

"I thought I was making it really easy for you!" she snapped as she forcefully pulled her arm away from him and gave Keith her back again. "If you'll excuse me, I have to put together a plan to unite eleven Drule Kingdoms and prove to the damn Garrison that we are not the sadistic tyrants Allura makes us to be."

Keith swore inwardly. He knew Merla was right. Allura had overstepped her boundaries. He could understand Merla's anger, "Back at Control, I thought I heard you say to Hazar that it was over."

"What's over is trying to convince myself that you and Arus could help our goals!" she seethed as she walked away from the commander. "You and Allura are nothing more than an obstacle for us. I will not allow myself to be fooled by you or her! As far as I'm concerned, I am through allowing you to _help_ me with anything. All you Earthlings are the same!" she shook her head without facing him.

"When will you realize that we are fighting for the same damn thing!" he almost shouted.

Turning around to face him, face full of anger and hurt, Merla answered him, "When will you realize that as long as you give in to Allura's antics, no change will be accomplished!"

"You are insufferable at times, Merla!" Keith responded with rising anger, "It's not that easy!"

"What's not easy? Doing what's right or living a lie to satisfy her!"

"I'm doing everything…"

"You're a coward!" she returned, having heard enough of his excuses. "Go marry Allura, have your kids, rule the entire galaxy and leave me the hell alone!'

"I can't do that!" Keith shouted, stepping closer to her.

"And why the hell not?" Merla shouted.

He didn't know how to word what he felt. It was a convoluted amount of emotions that drilled at him every time he was with her, with Merla. Keith couldn't voice his emotions; he was never any good at that. He was better at taking action, at showing what he felt. Forgetting propriety, forgetting to play it safe, to do what was right, to live up to the image of others, Keith Kogane, for the first time in years, threw out what he thought he should be and instead acted on what he felt, what he wanted to be.

No longer playing by the rules or Arus or the Garrison, he drew Merla to him, embraced and kissed her with all the passion he could conjure in that one moment. He wanted his forbidden fruit, the one woman who truly made him feel…feel something in his heart. God it had been so long. Both of his arms wrapped around her back as he crushed his body against hers.

Merla fought at first, trying desperately to break away from him, but he wouldn't allow her to do so. Keith was a drug that from the moment she saw him, she craved. Now, he was kissing her, touching her and a burning desire ignited in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his strong neck and her eyes closed as she felt his tongue enter her mouth. _Gods! Save me!_

Keith felt himself growing harder by the second. Soon, his hands traveled down the side of her hips to the hem of her skirt where he began to lift it and place his hand under it. Her legs, long and silk smooth, felt delicious against his hand. Keith's hands travelled up until he reached the string underwear she wore.

"Don't start what you can't finish," she told him in between kisses.

"I intend to," Keith answered as he pulled at the strings of her underwear and pulled them away while she unfastened his belt, unbuttoned his pants and freed him.

Keith pulled Merla up on her desk. He felt her shake with desire. He saw her eyes fill with an animalistic urge, it made him want her more. She, on the other hand, could see freedom in his. Freedom…and dare she'd say more. Merla was dreaming, truly dreaming. What she saw had to be wrong.

Looking at her, Keith knew didn't have to be careful with her. He didn't have to worry about hurting her or taking things slow. He could be free to do to her the things he could never do to Allura. That excited him.

"I want you," Keith huskily told her between kisses. "I can't control myself any longer."

"Me too," she sighed heavily, "More than you realize." She wrapped her legs around his hips in invitation.

There was no need of talk to each other, or waste time with foreplay. Neither wanted to spend time on such pleasantries. Without hesitation, Merla reached between them and pulled his hips toward her. Following her lead, Keith pushed into her. The queen cried out, shaking from the pleasure this first movement brought within her. Reaching up, Merla pulled his head down toward her to resume their kiss. Keith gave in, claiming her mouth with his while moving a hand up along her side to cup her breast through her dress. He continued his torturous rhythm within her as she took him in. Merla broke the kiss to moan at the fierce movement of his hips, her hands clutching at his shoulders as if to hold back the tide. With the sound of her pleasure ringing in his ears, Keith moved his lips to her neck and placed kisses along her delicate throat. Arching her back, Merla began following every movement he made until she couldn't hold it anymore and cried out her orgasm. Keith soon followed after.

When it ended, they looked at each other, while breathing hard. Eventually, Keith broke away from her and put himself together. Noting his actions, Merla did the same. Both were quiet for a moment as they pondered what they had done. Merla spoke first as she got off her desk, "I…"

"I'm not going back to Allura," Keith immediately told her, with the most intense eyes she had ever seen.

"What?" she asked, shocked.

Shaking his head, the commander answered, "I'm not going back to Allura, Merla. We are going to the Garrison, and we are putting a stop to this massacre that's about to happen."

"Keith, you're engaged to the Princess of Arus. This is crazy! Do you know what will happen if…."

He walked up to her and kissed her once again. The queen moaned again with pleasure before he let her go, "I _was_ engaged to the Princess of Arus…but I am in love with the Queen of Aven. Merla, I'm prepared to stay with you…if you'll have me."

Merla stared at him with disbelief and for the first time, she felt something she never felt before. Fear. Merla felt utter fear. She didn't know how this would end, but it didn't deter her from replying to him, "My room…follow me."


	17. Chapter 17

I apologize for the wait. A big thanks to my editor. Hugs! ;)

Chapter 17-Sweet Surrender

Keith gently took her hand and squeezed it. He even comforted her with a soft smile as they walked to her chambers. Merla smiled nervously, she had thought he'd back out and was even prepared for a denial. It never came.

They reached the door of her room, but before she opened it, Merla turned to him and asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Instead of answering her, Keith gently stroked the side of her face and kissed her sweetly. When he was done, he whispered to her, "Very."

Merla punched in her access code and the doors drew open to reveal her room, the sound of the waterfall coming from the balcony filled the room. Keith inhaled deeply, enjoying the scents of the flowers from the garden below.

They entered the room hand in hand as the doors to her room closed behind them. Keith took Merla into his arms and kissed her with such fervor neither breathed. Without a thought, he unzipped the top of her jacket, exposing her perfectly shaped breasts to his eyes. Enjoying the appreciative look in his eyes, she smiled at him before unbuttoning the top of his flight suit. Soon, both tops were thrown to the floor. Keith's hands traveled to Merla's beautiful perfectly round orbs. Her skin was the lightest of blues; and felt silky, smooth, tempting.

In between kisses, Keith's lips separated from hers and traveled to the queen's neck. Merla closed her eyes enjoying the sensations of his lips on her body. As he continued kissing her, she began unfastening his belt. Without even noticing, Keith suddenly picked her up and headed to the bed. "I love you," he told her as he gently placed her on top of the covers. She smiled as he kissed her some more.

Removing the rest of his attire, Keith showed the queen his muscular physique, his exceptional abs and the obvious yearning he had for her. Merla began to unzip her skirt, but Keith stopped her, "Let me." He slid the zipper down the rest of the skirt, exposing her flat abs and thin black lace thong that he had removed earlier. After removing the last of her clothing, he laid on top of her, kissing her gently at first, but Keith was surprised when she suddenly stopped him.

"I don't break," Merla whispered as she took over and kissed him back with enthusiasm and want. Claiming dominance, the queen turned them over and lay on top of him. Smiling, she began placing kisses on the base of Keith's neck as he began exploring her body with his hands.

Merla worked her way down his body with her kisses, claiming his chest and hard abs with her tongue. Continuing on her journey, the queen wasted no time going for her prize. A wicked little smile slipped across her face as she paused to stare at his hardened member. Wetting her lips with her tongue, Merla opened her mouth, tasting him.

A feral growl escaped Keith as the queen took him in. Sweet sensations filled him; feelings that he hadn't felt in years. She moaned as she continued her ministrations, tasting him, feeling him harden even more at her torturous absorption of his member. Merla played with Keith's member with her tongue. Finding the slit, she lapped at it while she continued sucking. Satisfaction flowed through her when Keith groaned in ecstasy.

He didn't want to come in her mouth. He wanted nothing more than to be within her when that happened. As if she could read his mind, Merla released him. Sitting up, Keith took hold of her shoulders and switched their positions. Pinning her to the bed once again, the captain kissed her, hard. His hand slid up her side to cup her breast, his thumb sliding back and forth over the already taunt nipple.

Merla's need for him grew. Opening her legs to him, his weight settled against her groin. His lips moved to her throat, the tip of his tongue teasing a pulse point. She felt Keith shift so that he could rub his erection against her. His member teased her mercilessly when he allowed the tip to slip in briefly only to pull away again as he continued to torment her. As she groaned her disappointment, Merla looked up to find Keith smiling roguishly at her.

Resisting the urge to move quickly, Keith twisted his hips to taunt her a final time. He could feel her body grow taunt beneath him, heard her quick breaths, felt her wetness, the strength of her desire wetting his head. Unable to wait any longer, Keith thrust himself inside of her. Merla squealed her pleasure as she arched her back.

Keith began to thrust, pushing himself more and more inside of her. Merla suddenly took him by surprise. Turning him over, she slipped across his hips to impale herself once more. Gripping onto his shoulders, she rode him hard, pushing herself onto him as much as she could. Keith groaned, feeling the tightness of her muscles against his hard member. Merla continued riding him, her movements slow at first, but as Keith groaned louder, she went faster, enjoying making him feel the way he did. He opened his eyes and looked up at Merla. She smiled, leaned down and kissed him before pulling herself back up to rub her breasts with her hands.

When Keith couldn't stand the sight of Merla playing with herself any longer, he grabbed her thighs and thrust himself deep inside of her. Lifting his hips to match her movements, he increased the thrusts rapidly, making Merla shout out his name. No longer able to control themselves, both yelled as their orgasms took over.

Left breathless, Merla fell over him and sucked in deep breaths as he wrapped his arms around her, his fingers finding their way into her hair to stroke the long length. "I love you," he whispered. She kissed him gently and hugged him. Keith continued brushing her hair gently until he felt her breathing steady and he knew she had fallen asleep. Soon, he closed his eyes and joined her.

VVVVVVVVVV

Rhyse had been on Doom for a couple of days. He smiled at himself, proud that he had practically walked in the front door of the planet without so much as a warning light coming on. It helped that he was a Drule of course, no one really suspected him as he made his way inside the castle. He had also used fake credentials to enter Castle Doom. Lucky for him, some of Zarkon's soldiers made extra income selling out their own boss. Credentials were very expensive and hard to find. Most of these soldiers sold their own ids and castle paperwork for an extremely high price then disappear from Doom. Some of them went with their entire families, travelling to distant places as far away from the king as they could. It was a reminder to Rhyse that even Zarkon's men were tired of his way of leading.

He had worked on acquiring credentials for months. Finally, Rhyse was able to find a soldier willing to sell him his, not only for a fairly decent prize, but with the added bonus that Aven would take him in. It was a gamble, but Hazar accepted. The soldier was still under surveillance, but he seemed to want nothing but freedom from Zarkon. The exchanged had been completed within hours. Since Lotor was too busy returning to Doom after his attack on Aven, no one noticed when the soldier left everything he owned behind and with a small ship, left Doom and made it to Aven in time for Rhyse to insert his picture and other information on the credentials to fit him.

The first day, he set up surveillance cameras around the areas where he knew Lotor frequented. It had been tricky. Since the last time he was there, the castle was even more heavily guarded and there were certain devices Lotor's men had installed that would scramble any outside signals. This, however, didn't stop Rhyse, he was always two steps ahead of technology. It was part of his job. He worked around the devices. He would get what he wanted, and right now, he wanted information.

He had set up his surveillance in an uninhabited area of the castle. He was hidden deep below the floors underground, where there was little to no traffic. The space, in the past, had been used to store weaponry and house sleeping quarters for the soldiers. But, with the aid of new technology, Zarkon now used more robot soldiers with AI than Drules. Since robots didn't sleep, the space had become a solitary area. It was perfect for the time being.

Looking at the single computer screen he had been able to smuggle in, Rhyse surveyed the four rooms he had set up with cameras. Lotor currently walked into one, the control room. Rhyse had been able to insert a small camera through one of the air vents in the ceiling.

"Well, my prince," Rhyse whispered as he zoomed in on the screen, "Let's see what you're up to."

VVVVVVVVVV

Inside his control room, Lotor's head rattled with thoughts that circulated his head. Merla and that human roach lived. News of their survival had revitalized the Rebel Forces, who now seemed stronger than ever. They had even voiced their decision to defect from the Empire and Zarkon without fear of repercussions. Zarkon was livid and Lotor took the heat. He didn't like it one bit.

The control room, filled with a lingering amount of troops, three to be exact, brought a silence that unnerved him. Since Cossack was now detained, Commander Urak had taken over. Lotor didn't trust the maggot, knowing Urak's allegiance sided with Zarkon rather than with him Lotor would find a way to bring Cossack back at one point, but now wasn't the time. Urak came in to stand at his side. "Sire, your father would like to speak to you in his chambers."

Nodding, Lotor answered, "I'll see him in a moment. I'm expecting word from someone."

Urak asked him curiously, "Who?"

Lotor ignored him, "No one that interests you, Urak. Leave me," he ordered and waited until the Drule left.

The once quiet room now filled with the sounds of a chime, alerted its occupants that a call was coming in, "Patch it through," Lotor ordered and the other another guard in his army did as instructed.

"How could you have fucked up? But then again, what should I expect from someone who hasn't once beaten Voltron."

"Funny you should mention that," the prince responded, ruefully smiling. "Makes me wonder why you sought for my help in the first place."

Ignoring the statement, the person on the vidscreen answered, "All you had to do was capture and torture him a bit so he would change his mind about this treaty, that's all that I asked for."

"Merla is smarter than I thought. Doesn't help that he is by her side," Lotor replied.

"He wouldn't have been if you had done your damn job right! You've failed yet again, Lotor. Your father should seek help finding a way to get rid of you once and for all."

"Is this a threat Allura?" Lotor suddenly asked. The princess had taken too many liberties since she decided work with him not only to destroy Merla and the Rebel Forces, which was a burden to both of them, but to knock some sense into her fiancé in the process. Lotor loved Allura deeply, even though he knew she didn't share the same sentiment. But whether he loved her or not, he wasn't going to allow her take such liberties and address him like some type of hired help to clean up after her dirty messes.

"Take it as you wish!" the ice cold princess of Arus answered, "Just get rid of her!"

Walking closer to the vidscreen, Lotor seethed with rage, "Listen to me very carefully, you little bitch! I do not and will not take orders from a lousy little princess who throws useless tantrums when she doesn't get her way. This little secret alliance that you conjured up between us is equal. You hold nothing over me. So, understand this…_Princess_…don't fucking treat me as hired help."

Allura laughed callously, "I apologize, Prince Lotor," she answered sarcastically, "Think whatever you want to think, as long as our goals are met. Get rid of Merla." When Lotor looked closer to the screen, he noticed that she was in her lion, most likely using the secure line she had installed a few weeks back when she first contacted him, "I am on my way to bring back Keith to Arus. After we leave, do with Aven what you wish."

"Do you love for him that much Allura?" Lotor mocked her. "Or are you just that sick?"

She smiled, "I love him, contraire to what you believe. He is mine and always will be."

"Funny way of loving someone."

"He's confused, I'm setting him straight," Allura answered callously. "I do not owe you any explanations, Lotor. Just make sure you get rid of Merla, for both of our sakes."

"I'll get rid of her, for both of our sakes. After that, everything goes back to normal. Don't think you can protect that lover of yours for long," Lotor smiled, "Make sure you keep that bed of yours warm, because after this is over, you will give me what you promised. You will be mine Allura, whether you like it or not."

It was Lotor who cut off communication. The guards in the room stood listening in disbelief at the conversation they had just heard.

"Not a word of this to my father or Urak for that matter… if you know what's best for you." Lotor finally told them.

Nodding, they replied, "Not a word, Sire."

Lotor sighed deeply. Allura weakened him. He couldn't think straight after speaking with her. He never thought she'd ally herself with him. To think she wanted her lover back after all that had happened. "Too bad," he whispered. He was going to kill him either way. He loved Allura, he'd do anything for her and he didn't care if the love wasn't reciprocated. Lotor's love for her peaked with every encounter. Unknown to her, he would take her…permanently.

Perhaps paying a little visit to the princess wouldn't be a bad idea at all.

VVVVVVVVVVV

"Holy fuck!" Rhyse was flabbergasted by what he heard, but even more by who he saw. The Princess of Arus had been working with Lotor all this time. "She's the one that set up the ambush at Gallath."

It all made sense now. It was Allura who set up the ambush with the purpose of breaking up negotiations and having Lotor capture Keith. Lotor would beat him, enough to convince the captain that the Drules were dangerous, "I'm wouldn't have been surprised if he would have killed him," he said to himself.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Rhyse was astounded at how far the princess would go so as not to include the Rebel Forces in the Alliance. He quickly determined that he had heard enough. He had to contact Hazar and find out when Lotor would attack. Allura wanted Merla dead and Lotor would waste no time finding a way to do so.

VVVVVVVVVVV

Allura, silent for a moment, pondered the words of the Prince of Doom. She had promised him one night, if he cooperated with her. "Damn fool," Like she'd ever give in to that demand, "Idiot!" After her conversation with Keith, she had had enough. The prehearings could go on without her for all she cared, she was bringing Keith home. Allura had Gorma standing by to take her fiancé to do some regression therapy. She would make sure to wipe out any influence Merla had placed on him. She didn't want to go that far with him, erasing his current memories, but the princess had to keep herself and him safe from the Drules.

Looking down at her console, she noticed that Lance was trying to contact her. "Sorry Lance. I must have pressed the private line by mistake."

He stayed quiet for a moment, "Who were you speaking to?"

"No one," she told him as she pulled up visuals. Knowing she was now being heard by all the members, she began, "I pressed the butto…"

"Cut the shit!" he snapped at her. "Who were you speaking to?"

"I was just trying to contact Aven," she lied, "I wanted to speak to Keith."

The answer seemed to soften him a bit. Lance sighed, "We'll be there soon. It's a two day trip even at the speed we are doing now."

"I know," she nodded, "I'm sorry…I'm just anxious to see him. That's all."

Lance sighed again, "We'll bring him home."

"Thanks Lance," she told him as he cut off communication. Breathing a little easier, Allura continued the flight silently, thinking of what else she needed to do to cover her tracks.


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry for the delay! It's been crazy. This is for Mergirl and Kath. Mer, thank you so much for loving this fic! I truly appreciate your kind words. Kath...an ode to you is in here. See if you can find it! :) Luv ya girl!

Chapter 18-New Love, Old Flames, and an Escape

Sometime later, Merla awakened to find herself no longer sleeping on top of Keith, but on her back, with Keith wrapped around her like a blanket. Both naked with no sheet to cover them, she felt the warmth of his body heat. Looking over at the clock on her wall, she noticed the time, seven o'clock in the evening. _Where has time gone?_ She thought. Slowly, she rose from bed carefully, without disturbing her lover. When she finally stood up, Merla watched him sleep soundly. A smile crossed her face as she watched him, she couldn't believe he was in her bed, she couldn't believe he was with her.

Taking a blanket from the end of the bed, she opened it and gently covered him. Merla walked over to her closet, where she pulled out a robe and wrapped it around herself as she walked to the balcony. The garden was set to late night, with a bright full moon and twinkling stars. When she looked down, she noticed that the staff had set out dinner for her. Hot plates and chafing dishes were on the square table. A round table, a few feet away, perfectly set for two, waited for her.

Not feeling hungry at the moment, the queen walked down the balcony. Taking off her robe, she decided to dip into the small pool surrounding her waterfall. The water, warm and inviting, relaxed her even more. Merla closed her eyes filling the sensation of the water and current around her. Her thoughts wandered to the man who slept in her upstairs bedroom. The man she had fallen in love with.

Xxxxxxxxx

Feeling a sudden coolness around him, Keith realized that he was alone when he opened his eyes. Darkness filled the room and only the light from the artificial moon allowed him to see his surroundings. Keith rose from bed and looked around. He couldn't find Merla anywhere. His eyes then fell on the balcony a few feet away; he walked over, taking the blanket with him. Looking over the marble structured railings, he watched as the queen bathed in the lake below; the water of the falls splashing over her nude body. An overwhelming feeling of lust and need blasted through him.

Walking the stairs with the large blanket covering him, Keith made his way to the lake. Feeling someone watching, Merla turned around, a great smile formed on her lips, "You woke up."

"You weren't there," he simply told her.

Her smile grew, "Want to join me? The water is warm." She reached out her hand to invite him in, "Unless you can't swim," she winked.

Keith smiled, dropped the blanket and reached for her hand. He wasted no time taking her into his arms and kissed her. Pushing her deeper under the falls, Keith continued kissing her until he cornered her against a rock that supported her back. Knowing his intensions and without breaking away from his kisses, Merla wrapped her legs around his waist.

Feeling all of him when he entered her, the queen moaned in between his kisses. His thrusts, soft at first, increased moment by moment. He groaned in desperation, trying to control himself. He pushed deeper into her as she broke away from his lips and began to taunt him by sucking on his earlobes and moaning in his ear. Keith groaned roughly, held her tightly and intensified his thrusts.

"Give me more, don't you dare come yet," she whispered in his ear.

"You're...tormenting…me," he told her, trying to control himself. She was killing him.

"Can…you live…with that?" Merla whispered to him with a smile.

"I look…forward to it," he replied in between breaths, "But…can you?" he asked as he kissed her and intensified his thrusts to a point that even surprised her. Merla squealed with pleasure. "Now, my queen…don't you dare…come yet. You…come….when I tell…you so." He kissed her, pinning her even more as he began to stroke her wet breasts with his hand.

Unable to take it any longer, Merla yelled his name as she came. When he heard her pleasure manifested by her yell, he could stand it no longer. Merla noticing the change, tightened her hold on him as he yelled, she whispered to him, "Come my love, fill me with your seed. Fill me more, I want all of you."

After he relaxed, she held him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck as she rested her forehead next to his. "You make me feel…" she sighed, "I've never felt this way with anyone."

He kissed her then pulled back to look at her with such an intense gaze that she almost literally melted in his arms. He finally told her, "I fell in love with you the moment I saw you."

The queen smiled. Tears fell from her eyes, "Did you?"

Keith nodded, "You've brought out feelings in me that I thought I'd never have again, Merla. I never thought I could love this way again."

Curious, she asked, as she brushed his wet hair back, "What do you mean?"

"I've only felt this type of love with only one person."

"Allura?"

He shook his head, "No."

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Rhyse packed everything he could take with him. As far as he was concerned, this recon mission was over. He had everything he needed and now, the time had come to inform Hazar about his findings.

Putting on the Drule Doom uniform, Rhyse took the last of his belonging and exited the area he had hidden in for days. The other Drule soldiers paid no attention as he walked through the hallways and to the landing bay. Going back to his ship would prove harder than just stealing a ship from the bay. He would need a good excuse to travel outside the castle. Worse, most who did would travel in groups. He didn't need a group to go with him to find a hidden ship.

Walking in, he flashed an arrogant smile at the soldier stationed by control, "What does a Drule have to do around here to get a craft?"

Not feeling that playful, the Drule with the very pronounced reptilian features looked back at Rhyse with a nasty attitude, "An order. You got one?"

Flashing his carefree attitude at the annoyed soldier, Rhyse answered, "Right here." Handing over a small tablet with some Drule letterings, the soldier inserted the tablet onto the control console. Rhyse had made a couple of these counterfeit tablets whenever he had to make a fast exit. This was one occasion.

"It's not reading it," the Drule rolled his eyes.

Rhyse maintained his cool on the exterior. The tablets were meant to work; ironic that he had given the soldier the one that didn't. _Damn it!_ He knew he'd had to tire the Drule out one way or another, "Well, what do you want me to do? I need to get out of here in the next ten minutes."

"You have no clearance," his voice was firm, "Take it back and get it rescanned."

Rhyse snorted, "Are you kidding me?"

"What the hell do you want me to do?" the soldier answered, "We have to follow protocol."

"You must be fucking me!" Rhyse snorted sarcastically, "You know, that's great, the orders are coming straight from Lotor. I need to be out of here in ten minutes or the prince will have my ass. Are you going to be the asshole that stopped the prince's plans? Go ahead, I sure as hell won't be around to see your demise."

Now the soldier looked undecided. The great thing about using Lotor's name was that the prince changed his mind as often as he changed his underwear. So it wasn't any surprise that his own soldiers were at times confused of his own orders. He regarded Rhyse suspiciously. He never did like the half Drule, half human soldiers in Lotor's army, but the asshole was right, if Lotor showed up, chances would be that the prince would slay him before his counterpart. The prince preferred those who closely resembled him, "Ahh…fuck!"

"Your call," Rhyse shrugged.

The soldier paused for only a couple of minutes before he sighed in frustration, "Damn it. I don't want to be the one to earn Lotor's wrath. Who the hell likes to be in his way when he pulls all his fucked up shit?"

"Not me, I'll tell you that much."

The soldier punched some buttons on his console and immediately overrode the tablet, "You have craft B-13DR4, it's on the east side, aisle 36."

"You're being very smart."

The Drule snorted. "All I'm looking for is to save my balls."

Rhyse laughed enough to invoke a small smile from the soldier, but not enough to make him suspect anything else.

The soldier then retrieved a small dark purple tablet a bit smaller from the one Rhyse had given him, "Here are the keys. Get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Taking the tablet, Rhyse took off without thanking the son of a bitch. Being courteous was the last thing that a Drule from Doom was. If Rhyse would have thanked him, he would have given the soldier enough of a reason to suspect him.

Quickly, he headed to his assigned craft. Aven was only a few hours away. He'd be glad when he'd reach home.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

They never bothered drying off their wet bodies. Instead, Keith spread out the blanket he had brought with him from the bed on the ground while Merla served a plate of food, which they both shared after they laid down on the blanket. It felt so natural to them to be naked, wrapped in each other's arms. Both enjoyed every moment of it. They knew a world full of war, pain, suffering and harsh decisions waited for them once they exited the doors. But for a brief couple of hours, their moment together was theirs alone. This was their happiness, their Garden of Eden, closed from the cruel world.

Lying on the blanket under the artificial moon, listening to sounds of the waterfall, they held each other. Their surroundings felt as real as if they were truly outside in the open air. The gentle warm breezes from the hidden vents dried their wet bodies and soon after they ate, they explored each other's body once again and made love one more time. Later, they relaxed in the stillness of the night. Neither could have asked for anything better at the moment.

Merla rested her head on his chest as Keith gazed at nothing in particular. She deduced he was far away, thinking. The answer that he had given her earlier still had her wondering. She wanted to ask, but was afraid the timing might be inappropriate. She couldn't just stay quiet, not after everything they had just shared and everything he had told her, "Keith?"

"Hmm..." he answered still lost in thought.

"Can I ask you a question?" Merla asked as she lifted her herself a bit to meet his eyes.

Looking at her, the commander answered her, "You want to know about the other woman."

"Yes."

Sighing, he stayed quiet for a moment before answering her, "I haven't spoken about her in years, not even to Allura."

She smiled sweetly, "Who was she?"

"Beverly Hagel Kogane. She was wife."

The statement didn't surprise her as much as it saddened her. The look in his eyes told Merla that what he felt for this woman still pained him, "You don't have to…"

Keith shook his head and lightly kissed her lips, "No. I want to. I want share this with you."

She smiled with gratitude, "Tell me about Beverly."

His eyes lit with appreciation, "I had just turned eighteen when I met her. We were taking a Theories of Logistics class together at the academy. I remember that she sat on one end of the auditorium toward the front of the class. I sat on the other side in the back of the room. I had the perfect view."

She giggled at his little attempt for a joke. He smiled melancholically, "Anyways, as soon as I saw her I was…just…I don't know how to say it, but I knew I couldn't be with anyone else. I just knew that Beverly and I…belong. I really couldn't see myself with anyone else."

"So you went up to her and wooed her with you charm?" she smiled at him.

"No," Keith shook his head. "I didn't speak to her for the entire semester."

"What?" Merla said in disbelief.

"I was extremely shy," Keith answered with a smile, reminiscing, "It took the entire semester for my friend Sven to convince me to walk up to her. On the very last day of class, after finals…that's when I approached her."

"What did you say?"

His eyes came alive as if he relived that moment again clearly in his mind, "I walked up and began introducing myself when she cut me off and told me with these exact words, I'll never forget, 'Yes, Keith Kogane, class genius. Well, genius, what took you so long? I've been waiting all damn semester for you to ask me out.'"

At this Merla laughed and laughed hard. Keith turned to her and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, go ahead, laugh. Sven was doing the same thing from across the room."

"I'm sorry. It's just very…amusing."

"She found it amusing alright. In a way, so did I. We went out that very night. From there on Bev and I were inseparable. I don't think we dated longer than six months. We married two weeks after graduation."

"You were both pretty young, weren't you?"

Nodding, he laughed a little, "That's what her parents said. My father, I think, thought the same, but he always respected my decisions," he paused for a bit before continuing, "I was eighteen and she had turned eighteen while we were dating. But you know, Merla, it just felt right. Everything that I did with Beverly just felt right from the moment I met her. I never had doubts. None," Keith looked at her with a warm expression in his eyes, "It's the same way, when I'm with you. I have no doubts about anything. I feel stronger, I feel…me."

At this she kissed him tenderly. He moaned a bit, savoring her kiss. When she was done, the queen told him, "Tell me more."

"Sven and my dad were the best men at the wedding, Lance and Beverly's best friend, Lenora served as witnesses. I had met Hunk and Darrell by senior year and we had become good friends. Hunk and I took a trip down at the quarries of planet Morrs to find the perfect diamond for her ring. We did. Well, he did. Hunk loves breaking things."

"You seemed very happy with her. How long were you two married?

"Two and a half years," he responded as his face returned to a melancholy look.

"Beverly was an expert at Intelligence. She was an expert researcher, she knew how to find people, places…it was her calling. Anyways, the Garrison called her in on a mission to run surveillance on Planet Narka. I was against it, Narka had just become Drule territory and I just had this feeling that it wasn't right for her to go."

"But she wouldn't listen to you," Merla offered.

Keith nodded, "I couldn't blame her. It was one of those missions that could put you on the promotion ladder quickly. I had just been made lieutenant and this was her break, she knew it. I knew it. We both knew we couldn't let it pass, but I still felt that it would be a mistake for her to go. I let her anyway."

Merla looked at him deeply, already seeing his thoughts, "You blame yourself for her death?"

He sighed, "I should have been more adamant. I felt something was off, but I let her go anyway. I should have stopped her."

"Garrison sent those orders Keith, neither of you really had a choice. You do understand that, right?"

Keith just shrugged, "I know, but," he stopped talking for a long moment before beginning again, "the Drules somehow found out that the Alliance was running Intel on them and their location. They infiltrated the compound successfully without detection. Beverly sent me a video message just before they broke into her section. It was her goodbye note. Then, I watched her die."

Merla remained quiet after he fell silent. What was there to say to a man who had seen his wife killed in front of his eyes?

"Garrison brought back her body to me and I buried her in the cemetery requested by her family," he continued. "After that I spent a year just passing through life, going on missions and so on. I was literally going out of my mind. Then, Graham asked me if I was willing to take the Arus mission. I didn't think twice about it. I couldn't live another day in our apartment or on Earth for that matter, I needed out. So, I sold everything that I could, gave most of her belongings to charities or to her family and left. Sven and Hunk immediately volunteered to go with me. Darrell and Lance were assigned to the mission after. I never spoke of her again. Not until…tonight, with you."

Merla hugged him tightly, "It seems like you loved each other deeply. You were lucky to have her."

Keith smiled sadly, "I never thought I'd feel that way again. After a year on Arus, Allura and I grew closer. She…she was so decisive, so determined. In a way, it used to be me, before Beverly died. She took on a role that was missing in me and I guess I interpreted as love. I relied on her strength to complete me in a way…"

"And now?"

He turned to look at her, "I felt strong with Beverly and I lost that when she died. You awaken these feelings in me again, this strength I thought I lost…I don't want to lose it again. And…I'm not going to lose a second chance to really love again."


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone. I apologize for being so late in this. My new responsibilities at work have me working more, writing less. Kinda sucky….

Anyway, here's the next chapter! It's almost complete! Hope you guys like it. There a couple of more fun stuff coming in the next few chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 19-Keeper of your Heart

Sitting inside the cockpit, Rhyse turned on all the controls needed to start the ship. The faster he left the bay the better. Pulling the steering controls toward him, the craft began to slowly slide out of the tarmac. Within moments, he began to accelerate and flew upwards into the planet's stratosphere.

He thought about contacting Hazar as soon as he was away from the planet, but was afraid Doom would catch the signal through the stolen ship. Rhyse pulled his personal comm. unit and as soon as he turned it on the device began to hum unnaturally. "Shit." He shook his head. The craft had a scrambler. That meant that if he used it, the craft had the capability to trace the communication signal. He couldn't use it either.

Rhyse had no choice but to wait to make contact. Suddenly he felt his ship shake. The first hit of an incoming Drule ship surprised him. Pulling up visuals, he discovered two Drule crafts behind him, "Guess it didn't take them that long to figure it out," he whispered as he pulled up the trajectories of the closest planets.

Another hit, "Damn it!" He would have to ditch the craft soon.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Knowing that the days before the Summit drew to a close, the Prince of Doom sat in his office pondering his next move. He needed to get rid of Merla and fast or Allura would not be happy. Going back to Aven would be next to impossible. He was sure that by now they had upgraded security, making entrance to the planet next to impossible.

Merla didn't give up easily, he was sure she'd attempt to come to Arus, and that's where he'd plan to get her. She would die; he'd waste no more time doing that.

Then came Keith Kogane. "How wonderful it would be if he'd be there too," Lotor whispered to himself. "But Allura is on her way to take him back to Arus." He was quiet for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.

He had let Keith and Allura's relationship go on, but no more. On the day of the summit, Merla would die, but as soon as that task ended, he'd make sure Kogane was next.

VVVVVVVVVVVV

As much as Keith wanted to stay in what he secretly called the Garden of Eden, lying next to his Eve, he knew that was not to be. Many things needed to be done, one being the ability to return to Arus with Merla by his side for the conference. Knowing that Allura would never approve, the commander knew he'd need help.

By the time they showered and dressed, it was about nine o'clock Aven time, but around five-thirty Earth time. Keith knew who he had to call, but wasn't sure if he'd receive the help he need. After all, knowing Allura, she'd probably tell the Garrison some ridiculous story to convince them to do what she wanted.

They arrived at the control room together. Hazar, who sat in the control chair, turned to look at his queen and friend's gentle eyes and soft smile. He instantly knew. A small smile crossed his lips.

"Are you…okay with this?" Merla asked him, unsure of what her best friend would think. Keith looked worried too. Hazar had come to respect the commander's discipline, righteousness and loyalty. So many things could change now.

Standing up, the tall Drule looked at both of them. He embraced Merla with such gentle attention, that the woman closed her eyes relishing the gesture, "I am happy that you finally found the owner of your heart." When he let her go, he turned over to Keith. Hazar smiled and told him as he extended his hand to his human friend, "You are one of my closest friends next to Merla. I respect and value your friendship. And…I too am happy that you found the true owner of your heart."

Taking his friend's hand, Keith shook it firmly, "Thank you Hazar."

As the moment drew to a close, the trio returned to the present and to the challenge that lay ahead for them. Keith looked at both of them before stating his plan, "Allura will never allow us to enter Arusian airspace once the Summit begins. Our only bet now is to speak to the Garrison."

"Do you think that is wise at this point?" Hazar intervened. "I mean, the princess could have closed those doors as well."

Nodding, Keith answered, "I'm sure she did, Hazar. If I contact the Garrison, they'll never believe me. Alliance scientists have had a theory that Drules possess some type of telepathy that allows them to control human behavior."

"That is a very select group of individuals and they're wrong," Merla shook her head in disbelief. "Keith, we are talking about first generation Drules…most of them lived hundreds of years ago. Very few of their descendents possess that gift and even so, it is not as strong as they believe. There are some Drules that have manifested different…powers, for lack of a better word. How could they possibly think all Drules possess mind control? We would have annihilated the human race by now!"

Looking at her, he smiled a bit, "What can I tell you, love…we're not as advanced as you…it will take us some time to catch up."

"So, if you contact the Garrison," Hazar interjected, "Why won't they believe you?"

"I'm sure that by now, Allura has contacted Graham, telling him that I'm missing or captured by Aven. They'll treat me as dangerous, a hostage not to be trusted," the commander finished. "Until I'm retrieved and interviewed, I am temporarily decommissioned from my rank…"

"But," Merla interjected, "If you can't contact them…"

"You will," Keith replied almost instantly, "What we are about to do goes against every moral and ethical belief I have, but we're going to have to play a bit dirty to get what we want…and hope it will work."

"What are you thinking?" Hazar asked curiously.

"I have a plan."

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Lotor's concentration broke when Yurak ran into the room unannounced. "We've had a breach…a perp took one of our crafts."

Standing up immediately, Lotor yelled, "Is he human?"

Yurak shook his head, "No…Drule."

Lotor immediately knew it had to be a member from the Resistance, "Shit! Where is he headed?"

"Moors. Our men have been trying to shoot him down. I'm headed to control to look for updates," Yurak answered.

"Make sure he doesn't survive," Lotor warned as he walked past the officer and toward the door, "Let's go to control together. I want to see this end."

The two men quickly headed to the control room where the crew watched the events unfold from one of the craft's video systems. Lotor watched as the craft swerved and evaded the mountainous tops of Moors, trailing close behind to the stolen ship.

The prince watched in awe how the enemy ship evaded the mountains and the ships behind it with perfect precision and grace. "Who the hell is this Drule?"

"Don't know," Yurak shook his head. "For some reason, the cameras in the areas that he walked around scrambled as he passed by. We have no image of him."

"Smart bastard," Lotor shook his head in harsh admittance. As they continued watching, he veered off and avoided any of the incoming peaks, at the same time gaining speed away from the Drule fighters, "He's good."

"They're better," Yurak responded.

"They better be," Lotor blasted back while he continued to watch the screen in front of him.

Suddenly, Lotor's eyes widened when the impostor's ship swerved toward two close mountain peaks, momentarily disappearing from view for a few seconds, before it reappeared on the monitor then flew right into the next mountain peak.

"Gotcha asshole!" Yurak beamed then looked at the prince, "So much for being a good pilot."

"Was the emergency pod discharged?" Lotor asked without sounding hopeful too soon.

Yurak shook his head, "No. He's dead."

Lotor nodded courtly. "Good. Now, follow me. You and I need to work on making sure we will successfully initiate our plan against Merla."

VVVVVVVVVVVV

Merla took a deep breath, waiting as the communication system connected her to the Garrison lines. Within moments, a young man appeared on screen. "Cadet Anson Harrelson, number ID 4938472, with whom am I speaking to?" His eyes were cold and even though his face remained calm, Merla knew the cadet was shocked on the inside when he saw her. She smiled triumphantly.

"Queen Merla of the Royal House of Aven, daughter of Rainan, and leader of the Drule Resistance Force," she began, "I want to speak to Admiral Nathan Graham."

The cadet didn't argue or stall the process, "Right away, your Majesty. Please hold one moment."

It only took a couple of seconds when the admiral came into view, "Your Majesty," the admiral stated coldly, "This is a surprise."

"I bet it is," she began with an equally cold smile. "This isn't a courtesy call by any means."

"I'm sure it isn't," Graham immediately stated. "I've been made aware that you are holding Captain Keith Kogane hostage, is that true?"

"It is," she nodded. "And I'm prepared to enter into an agreement with Galaxy Garrison and the Alliance for his safe return."

Graham's brows furrowed in question, "Before we speak, I want to see him."

Merla turned around and motioned to a soldier, "Bring him." Seconds later, Keith appeared with a Drule guard next to him. His hair was wild and he had various bruises on his face.

"Keith!" Graham's expression was surprised.

"Admiral," Keith replied, with a steady but serious tone.

"Are you alright?" Graham asked.

"You asked to see him, not to speak to him," Merla interjected as she motioned the guard to take Keith away. "Now, are you ready to talk, or do I have to get rid of the Alliance's golden boy just to prove a point?"

"What do you want?"

"I want an audience at the Summit taking place on Arus a few days from now," she told him immediately. "I want Garrison to consider an alliance with the Resistance."

"Have you gone insane?" the admiral responded, "This is how you plan to ally with us, by threatening to end the life of one of our men?"

"It doesn't have to come to this, Admiral," Merla responded. "All I want is an audience. I've tried doing things the right and respectful way, it didn't work. You've all forced me to these measures."

"That's absurd!"

"That's the truth!" Merla snapped back. "Now, secure me an audience at the Summit and you will have your precious captain back. Make sure you do Admiral, or you'll be to blame for the consequences!"

Graham stared at her, anger resonating in his eyes. She paused for a moment before speaking again, "Oh and make sure you keep this little…conversation…between us confidential, Admiral. If I learn you've spoken to someone anyone about this, your captain dies. If I don't gain access to Arus, your captain dies. The choice is yours." Finished, she cut communications.

Once the transmission was done, Keith walked over to the queen and held her in his arms. Merla sighed as she shook a little. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"If I would have requested the audience on behalf of Aven, he would have thought you or someone else brainwashed me into doing it. This way, Graham will be forced to let you enter."

"But, won't he think that still?"

Keith shook his head, "I've been beaten, bruises are all over my face. If I was brainwashed, I wouldn't have the crap beaten out of me. I've resisted. It safe to say, I've established doubt."

Hazar stepped into view, "But what will happen if you are successful at gaining access? How will you convince them then?"

Turning to Hazar, but still holding Merla in his arms, Keith answered, "Let's just hope the plan that Merla and I have put together convinces them."

VVVVVVVVVVV

As the crafts gained on him, Rhyse realized he had to act fast. Moors had huge mountains that reached higher than most terran or even Drule planets, but below, on the ground levels, Moors was populated with cities and large towns with the much needed technology he'd need to contact Aven. But, he had to get there first.

Destroying the craft would be his only way out. But he needed to find a way to get out of it first. He quickly disengaged the computer's recording system so that it wouldn't register any commands he gave to the ship from that point. Swerving through the peaks, Rhyse found two mountainous peaks so close to each other that one would need to be an expert pilot in order to fly through the slit of an opening. Luckily, he was an expert pilot.

As the Drules drew close, he accelerated his craft gaining speed as he got closer to the mountain. Tilting the craft, he flew it through the opening and ejected from the craft before it exploded into another mountain peak on the other side. He didn't think he was seen as the smoke from the craft hid him from view. The other ships didn't bother going through when they saw the explosion. Rhyse knew they wouldn't. With the limited vision from the explosion, the Drules wouldn't take the chance of colliding with another mountain.

As he flew downward, he tried to land at the lowest point he could. The lower he was, the less it would take to descend from the mountain. Rhyse hoped it wouldn't take him long to descend. With no provisions, he wouldn't last long anyway.

VVVVVVVVVVV

After much discussion and planning, Keith and Merla went back to her room to rest. They held each other in the darkness in a very comfortable silence. Sleep had not come to them yet. Both their minds continued to go through their plan and to what they hoped the outcome would be.

"Allura will come for you," Merla suddenly told him.

"I know," he answered casually, "Probably in a day or so."

"I don't think it's a good idea to tell her about us," Merla carefully stated. "Were you?"

Keith looked at her with an affectionate smile, "I would tell her immediately about us, I'm not afraid to do so," he kissed her before continuing, "But, you are right. It's not a good idea to add…us… to this change of things."

"Listen to her."

"What?" Keith looked at her curiously.

Looking at him, Merla sighed, "She's by no means someone I like, but…I just keep thinking…if I was in her place…just listen to her. Whatever she throws at you…"

"I will," Keith replied, understanding what she meant, "I'll listen."


	20. Chapter 20

I've been trying to post since Tuesday. I'm sorry for doing it so late. Hope you enjoy. We are almost done! Thank you all for your wonderful emails, well wishes and questions! You guys know how to put a smile on my face.

Chapter 20—Dangerous Liaisons

As the rest of the Voltron Force flew toward Aven anxious to bring their friend, and captain, home, Allura thought of the events taking place around her. The Summit would soon take place. Allura hoped Keith wouldn't give her any problems, but, if he did, Gorma would be on standby to make sure he'd be taken care of until the event was over.

"She'll be waiting for us," Darrell immediately spoke out as they came closer to the planet and interrupting Allura's thoughts, "Maybe we shouldn't have brought the lions."

"All of you stay back, I'll go in," Allura ordered.

"You're not welcome, Princess Allura," an image suddenly appeared on the vidscreen of Allura's cockpit. "I suggest we meet at a more formal time, perhaps the Summit."

Allura's eyes narrowed, "I'm only here to bring Keith home. If you decide to stop me, I'll just have to destroy you and your damn planet."

Merla's calm demeanor irritated Allura even more; this enlightened the queen and she smiled, "You seem to forget, Princess, that I have the advantage at the moment," she paused for a second before continuing, "I advise you not to come closer to my planet's airspace. Surrounding Aven is a radiation field capable of destroying your precious pussycats."

"I don't believe you!" Allura snapped back and just to prove her point she shot three proton missiles toward the planet. The field vaporized them.

"I wasn't lying, Allura," Merla countered with her continued smooth calmness as before. "I suggest you listen to me."

"I suggest you give me my fiancé back. That's all I want. Nothing else."

Suddenly a recognizable figure appeared next to Merla, "Allura, go back home."

Shocked, the Princess of Arus looked at the eyes of her fiancé, who didn't seem to hide his indifference toward her, "The radiation barrier that the queen speaks of will vaporize the lions the same way it vaporized the missiles. Turn the lions around and go back to Arus."

Anger radiated in Allura's face. Her lips thinned, her brows furrowed, her eyes shone tears of full of hatred, "What is the meaning of this, Keith?"

"I need to help them Allura. Even though you don't agree with me, I cannot allow your influence with the Garrison to destroy the lives of planets who want nothing more than to live in peace," the commander responded as he looked at her, "I'm helping Aven."

"You fucking son of a bitch!" the princess of Arus yelled, "How could you?"

"It's the right thing to do, Allura." Keith replied, without any signs of caring for her distress. "I will see you in a couple of days." He hated his harshness toward her, but he had to separate his personal feelings from his duty.

"This is not the end of this Keith!" Allura shouted. "I demand that you come back now!"

"I won't. I won't let this go on," he responded calmly. "I will no longer play your games. Not every Drule is the cause of what happened to Arus. They are the answer to Arus, if you could only see how our people could benefit from them."

"Keith," Lance suddenly interrupted. "Just, come back, I'm sure we can work this out—

"Shut up Lance!" Allura cut him off. "This conversation is between the commander and I, you play no part in this! Stay the fuck out of it!"

"The hell I will!" Lance finally lost his temper. "I'm sick and tired of your games as well. This has gone far enough!" The red lion pilot responded, fuming. Turning back to his commander, Lance's tone deepened with fury. "I'm sick so of this shit!"

Keith tried to calm his friend down, "I know Lance, but believe me when I tell you that I'm doing the right thing. Help me," he finished with emphasis on an unspoken meaning.

Nodding curtly, Lance took a deep breath and sighed before addressing his group, "Abort mission. We're going back."

"Lance!" Allura shouted with disdain, "You can't do this!"

"Princess, when it comes to missions, I am in command after Keith, so you will turn around as ordered! We are heading back to Arus, whether you like it or not. Hunk, Darrell, abort."

"Acknowledged," Hunk replied nodding. "See you soon Keith." The yellow lion pilot responded with a small smile.

Darrell just nodded, a sign to Keith that he also supported his captain.

"Thank you Lance," the captain responded.

"See you soon, Cap," Lance answered before cutting communication.

Once the lions turned and flew back toward Arus, the princess contacted Lance on the private line, "How could you do this?"

Lance didn't answer. He was tired of this entire mess and mostly tired of the situation at hand.

"Answer me," she demanded.

"You can't expect everyone to follow you, Allura," Lance answered, "You are tiring him and you sure as hell tiring me."

"Lance,"

"I'm done Allura!" he answered with annoyance and anger, "I'm done."

VVVVVVVVVV

"Weren't you a bit too hard on her?" Hazar asked after communication ceased.

"I can't allow my personal feelings for her cloud me Hazar," Keith responded as he ran his hand through his hair, "She already lied to the Garrison, who knows who else she's spoken to. I need her to see me this way."

"What do you think she'll do now?" Merla asked.

"She'll probably want to contact Graham again," Keith gave her a little smile, "But I'm sure that our stellar performances will make him think twice about listening to her."

"So what's the next move?" Hazar asked looking at both Merla and the commander.

"The Summit is in a few days," Merla replied, "We should leave soon."

Keith nodded as he put his arm around Merla's waist, "I agree, I wouldn't doubt that Lotor would attempt to stop us on the way there. We should get a head start."

"When will you leave?" Hazar continued his inquiry, understanding his friend's reasoning.

"First thing tomorrow morning."

VVVVVVVVVV

By the time Rhyse made it down the mountain, it has taken him almost a day. He hadn't eaten or drank anything and after an incredible long hike to the nearest village, he was inches from collapsing in front of the first person he came across. Apparently he had, because the next time he opened his eyes, Rhyse found himself laying on a bed. He felt hot, and every inch of his body burned.

"Heat stroke," he heard the soft voice of a woman speak, "Don't speak too much, the sun took a lot out of you."

"How...how.."

"How did you get here?" she finished for him, "My father found you…well you kind of found him and basically collapsed when you did."

_That explained it_, Rhyse thought. "I…I need to…contact…"

"You need to rest," she firmly told him. "You are no good to anyone right now. Just rest, I'll give you what you need after."

Rhyse opened his eyes and vaguely saw the woman hovering over him before darkness took him again.

VVVVVVVV

Lotor was happy to report to his father the death of the treacherous Drule as he and Yurak travelled to Arus. He had decided to station himself close to his rival planet in the hopes of intercepting Merla before she reached the Summit.

They would have to hide out for a couple of days, which meant complete boredom for the prince, who had not had any entertainment for days. As he sat in the captain's chair of the bridge, an idea flourished in his mind, "Yurak,"

"Yes sire,"

"Contact the witch," Lotor responded, "I need to speak to her."

His new second in command looked at him questionably, but answered, "I'll contact her immediately."

Lotor stood from his chair, "I'll take the call in my quarters. Notify me once you have contact." The prince began walking out of the bridge without looking back, or putting Yurak's questioning gaze to ease.

VVVVVVVV

The ride back to Arus was a silent one as all of the pilots wondered what had happened and what would happen when the Summit finally commenced. Allura herself had been the quietest of all. Her deathly silence scared Lance. He didn't like the way she thought at times and now, whatever was going through her mind surely was not good.

He was also tired of everything around him, so tired of fighting, so tired of hiding what he felt inside. He had realized at that moment that Allura was nothing like the woman he thought she was. Shaking his head, he sighed with frustration.

"Lance."

Turning his head, he looked at the vidscreen to find Darrell looking back at him, "Yeah Shorty."

"You think…Keith is right?"

Lance smiled, "Have you ever known him to be wrong?"

The kid shook his head, "No."

"Then, trust him," Lance replied. "Trust our captain, Darrell. He's never let us down before, he never will."

Nodding, and feeling better, Darrell smiled, "You're right. Thanks Lance."

"No problem kid." Lance sighed, but offered his younger friend a small smile.

Listening in quietly, the princess lips pursed in anger, so much faith…for a traitor. With tears dripping down her eyes, she knew she'd have no choice. Keith and Merla could not, and would not, make it inside the Summit.

VVVVVVVV

Days had passed, and it didn't take long for Lotor to reach Adzithia, the closest moon to Arus. He and Yurak would wait for Keith and Merla's arrival.

'They should be arriving within days," Yurak told him as Lotor stood by the bridge overlooking planet Arus. The prince did not reply as he continued gazing onto Arus, his mind distant, lost in thought.

"Your Highness?"

"Yes," Lotor replied turning around. "What is it?"

"The queen and the captain should arrive within a few days," Yurak repeated again. "And just in case you wanted to know, there hasn't been any detection of us from Arus."

At this, Lotor laughed sarcastically, "Nor will there be. Yurak, believe me when I tell you, that will be the least of our worries for the moment."

"She really does not care that she is working with you?" Yurak said in disbelief of Lotor's ally. "Women."

"Not women. Just one in general." Lotor answered as he looked back at Arus. "Just one." Lotor had watched the lions arrive on Arus a few hours earlier. He wondered where Allura was and what she was doing. A smile slipped across his lips. Maybe she was asleep by now. He wondered what she'd look like in her sleep. No, he didn't have to wonder…he knew she'd look more beautiful than anything he would ever see in his lifetime.

VVVVVVVV

"Hey," Lance smiled as soon as he saw Keith's image appear from the viewscreen. They had arrived at Arus a few hours before and since he was still restless from travel, he had decided to take the night shift at control. "Didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"I need your help," Keith told him with a serious tone. "You are the only one I trust."

Sighing, Lance shook his head, "Do you know the kind of shit you're in? Keith, you are siding with the enemy."

"What some perceive as the enemy," Keith corrected him. "These people need our help Lance. I can't turn my back on them."

"Great!" Lance almost shouted sarcastically. "Meanwhile, your fiancée is so angry, most of us want to hide from her sight. Coran thinks you've gone insane and wants to remove you from command and I wouldn't be surprised if Graham will throw you out of the Alliance personally or lock you up for insubordination. Is this thing worth it, Keith? Is it really worth it?"

"Very," Keith immediately told him. "What is the point of fighting if we are not fighting for something valuable? Our fight is against Doom and Zarkon, not every Drule civilization around the galaxy. Lance, we joined the Alliance to fight for those who can't do it themselves. That's what I'm attempting to do."

"What about Allura?" he suddenly asked, "What are you going to do about her?"

"What do you mean?"

At this, Lance laughed, "How are you going to fix things with her? I mean, even if you get the Alliance to accept Aven at the Summit, how the hell are you going to get her to accept you back?"

Keith sighed, not ready to tell his friend his relationship with Allura was over, "I'll worry about that when the time comes."

The lieutenant pondered for a moment before a realization hit him. Staring at his friend, he sighed inwardly before speaking, "What do you need from me?"

"Access into the castle," Keith answered, "I know that Allura…"

Nodding in understanding, Lance finished the sentence for him, "…won't let you in, I know." He paused for a bit before continuing, "Consider it done. I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you," Keith smiled, "I'll see you in a few days."

"I'll see you, brother," Lance replied before cutting communications.

For a long moment, Lance stared at the blank screen in front of him. Many things ran through his mind. In the last few days he had seen so many changes around him taking place. He closed his eyes and wondered what it all meant for the others and for him.

VVVVVVVV

Allura slept a dreamless sleep. She moved about in the bed, unaware of the presence that watched over her as she sighed in her sleep.

The presence continued his vigilance on her, watching her every feature as he walked closer to her bed. He sat next to her lying form, caressing her cheeks softly as his fingers ran down her chin, neck, and finally her chest where he took one breast and gently played with its aroused nipple.

Allura groaned as if enjoying the sudden intense feelings of arousal even as she slept. The figure then moved down and licked her lips with his tongue. A breath escaped the princess as the figure softly kissed her neck and worked his way up to deepen the kiss gently at first before deepening the kiss so roughly that it startled Allura awake.

"What the…" Allura raised her voice, but the figure was too fast for her. He took both of her hands and pinned them to the bed immediately before laying his body over hers.

"Naughty princess," he whispered in her ear.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Allura raised her voice.

"Shut up!" he answered her hard. "You do not speak to me as if I serve you! You came up with this plan and it was you who fucked it up."

Allura laughed humorlessly, "Me? You are more screwed up than I thought."

"Don't toy with me, Princess. I am not that pathetic excuse of a man you plan on marrying."

"What are you doing here?" Allura ignored his last statement as she tried to break free.

He laughed madly, "Why else?" the figure answered her as he held her tighter, "I came for my payment as promised. Just because you didn't keep your end doesn't mean I can't collect."

The man tightened his grip on both of Allura's hands with one hand. With his other, he roughly pulled the sheets from her. Allura tried to scream, but he kissed her hard and when he let go, he whispered in her ear, "You wouldn't want the others to know that after your public display of hatred toward the Drules, you secretly are working with them, would you Allura? I have no problem attesting to the fact."

In the dim light around them, she looked into his eyes that mocked her back. Finally, Allura snarled, "Asshole."

"You conniving little bitch," was the answer she received before he pulled up her nightgown and tore the side of her panties, yanking them away. The princess felt the tearing and burning sensation against her hips. With his knees, he pulled her legs apart. She felt his naked flesh on top of her. He had planned this all along.

"My apologies my princess, I don't have the patience for foreplay tonight, my needs have to be put to rest."

Allura felt his arousal impale her suddenly, fast, deep, and without a hint of guilt or apology.

"Get ready, Princess," he continued, "I am not as gentle as your beloved," he laughed. Allura fought, she couldn't win. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth with his. Deeper, faster, he went, groaning with each stroke.

Minutes felt like endless hours, until Allura felt wetness fill her and she knew it was over. His body suddenly fell limp against her. He was breathless.

"Ahh, now that felt good," he smiled with satisfaction. "Don't fall asleep just yet beautiful. I'm not done with you."


	21. Chapter 21

Hi Everyone!

Only three more chapters to go! I'm so excited to be finishing this fic. Thank you all for your kind words and wonderful review. They are very much appreciated.

Again, I apologize for the delay. It's been really busy at the hospital.

Chapter 21—Truth Be Known

In a whirlwind of activities, preparations and preventive measures, the days had passed and the Summit came to fruition. Merla and Keith wasted no time and left Aven days prior, in order to arrive on Arus on time for the Summit.

As they flew closer to Arus, Merla watched Keith as he steered the ship, but lost in thought. She had an idea what he was thinking, "Are you ready for this?"

He turned to look at her after putting the ship on autopilot, "I've been ready to address the members of the Summit for months."

Smiling a bit, Merla shook her head, "I meant, are you ready to speak to Allura?"

Sighing, he answered with a nod, "I'm ready, Merla."

Taking his hand for a moment, Merla noted, "Keith, do you realize what you will be giving up? Aside from becoming king of the most powerful planet in the Denubian galaxy, you risk giving up your command and your rank with the Alliance. Are you really ready to give that up for…"

"You?" Keith broke in, "Absolutely." His voice was firm, serious, decisive, "You don't realize how much I love you, do you?"

She looked at him, trying to understand, "We've only known each other…"

"Time is not a factor. It's what you feel in here," he told her pointing at his heart. "When I saw you for the first time, I felt something I had not felt since I met Beverly. The day she died, it died with her. When I saw you…Merla you brought life back. Power, ranking, they don't matter if they don't satisfy you. My love for you satisfies me. I need nothing else."

Merla stood from her chair and went to him, kissing him ever so softly, "How did I find you, Keith Kogane?"

"Lotor shot me in the back, damn bastard," he joked. They laughed before he kissed her again, "I love you. Never forget that."

"I won't," she whispered. She had just finished telling him those two short words when all of a sudden their craft began to shake, "What's that?"

Quickly checking the monitors, Keith let out a hiss, "Son of a bitch. The bastard's back."

VVVVVVVVV

When Rhyse opened his eyes, he looked around a room that had a small fireplace, which gave very dim light, and a faint scent of cinnamon. He was in confused and disoriented, "Where am I?" he groaned.

"Moors," he heard the voice of a woman speak to him, "You spiked a fever a few days ago and you've been in and out of consciousness for the past three days."

Rhyse tried to get up, but found that he was too weak to do so. The woman was by his side immediately and stopped him, "Don't move so fast. You're still recuperating."

"I need to contact my planet," he ordered.

"Just rest for a bit."

Shaking his head wildly, Rhyse replied, "No. Impossible. I need to do this now."

Seeing his demeanor and persistence, the woman helped him rise, "Slow steps. I'll take you to our communication center."

Turning, Rhyse looked at her. She looked almost human, except for her eyes which glowed a light grey, "What's your name?"

"Azalia," she told him. "What's yours?"

"Call me Rhyse. Thank you for taking care of me," he answered looking at her, gratitude showing his tired features.

She smiled a bit, "It was no trouble. Come on, let's get you to the communication center."

VVVVVVVV

As all the delegates from the Summit began filtering in the room, Allura studied the events happening in front of her from the hallway entrance.

Walking over to Hunk, she asked, "Have you heard anything?"

The man shook his head, "Nothing Princess. He may not show."

She snorted, "Please! Of course he's going to show. I need you to make sure he does not come in here, for any reason Hunk!" Allura's eyes grew cold, but burned with anger.

With an uncomfortable nod, the man snorted.

Sighing, Allura soften with the big man, "Hunk, his mind is being controlled by Merla, either that or he's a traitor. It hurts me to know that the only man that I have ever loved could do this to me…to us. But we need to make sure he doesn't ruin our plans and our home world."

"He won't get through me, Princess." Hunk sighed uneasily.

Allura smiled, "Good."

VVVVVVVVVV

Walking inside the communication center, Rhyse wasted no time contacting Aven. Azalea was at his side, supporting his weight as he was too weak to stand.

"Let me get you a chair," she immediately offered. He didn't argue with her. The truth was he felt as good as a dying man.

Moments later, Hazar appeared on screen, "Rhyse! Thank the gods, you were supposed to check in two days ago. Are you alright?"

"Been better," he muttered.

"Where are you?" Hazar immediately asked.

"Moors," the operative responded, "That's not important. Where's the queen?"

"She and Captain Kogane travelled to Arus for the Summit."

Rhyse closed his eyes; it was too late, "Hazar, you need to call her back."

Worried now, the commander looked back at the wounded soldier on his view screen, "Tell me…what did you find?"

"The queen. She mustn't go to Arus. Arus is a threat."

"What?" Hazar yelled in disbelief, "What are you talking about?"

Wasting no time, Rhyse answered, "Princess Allura…she's working with Lotor."

VVVVVVVVVV

They felt another hit alongside the ship. The craft rocked unsteadily for a few seconds before Keith was able to stabilize it once again, "Strap in Merla!"

It was then that he saw a couple of Drule fighters appear on their tail, trying to shoot them down.

"What are you going to do?" The queen asked as she went back to her seat, "If we land on Arus with them, they'll think…"

"I know what they'll think," Keith broke in. "We'll need to veer away from Arus' airspace, and shake them off our tail somewhere else." Avoiding another hit, Keith began to turn the ship around. As he did, a communication message began to come on screen, "It's him. Bet he wants to talk."

"I'm sure that's far from it," Merla interjected. "What he wants is to gloat. Let me handle him."

Pushing the message through, a very serious, but calculating Merla faced an angry, but determined Lotor, "You always seem to show up at the most inopportune times."

"You always seem to live through them," the prince answered, "But this will end today."

"Not likely," the queen responded with a smile.

"That we shall see," Lotor countered back before he cut off communications.

Sighing, Merla turned to her lover, who fought to evade any crafts shooting at them and at the same time trying to shoot them down as well, "So what now?"

"Connect to Castle Control. We'll need the lions."

VVVVVVVVVV

Yurak looked over at the prince, who began to order more fighters out, "You should bring them down now."

Looking back at his new first in command, the prince snarled, "I'll do it when I'm damn good and ready."

Incredulously, the Drule commander stepped forward, "It will only be a matter of time before those damn lions make an appearance, shoot them down!"

"You dare to give me an order?" Lotor shouted, "Need I remind you who you answer to?"

Stepping back, Yurak nodded curtly. "It would be in your best interest to do so now, sire. You said so yourself, the princess may want the captain alive, but it is of no concern to you if he dies in the process with Merla. She is really the key to all this."

Lotor knew that. But, something prevented him from doing what he originally proposed. Could it be that his love for Allura made him want to grant all her wishes? _Impossible. Utterly impossible_, he thought to himself. He wouldn't accept it. If he wanted Allura, if he truly wanted Allura, then Kogane had to die. "Order all the fighters out. Shoot them down immediately."

VVVVVVVVVV

All of the members of the Alliance stood by their chairs, waiting for Allura to enter. On the walls around the huge round room, flat screen viewers showed the faces of other alliance members who could not make it to the planet but attended via conference.

Coran stood by the entrance door to make the announcement, "Presenting, her Royal Highness, Princess Allura of Arus."

Allura stepped into the room wearing a traditional Arusian royal purple gown, light make up easily matched the deep lilac of the accent pieces that decorated the gown. With the most refined grace, she walked to the seat that Coran had pulled out for her and sat down before the advisor graciously pushed her in, "You may all be seated," she stated, immediately everyone began to take their seats.

"Thank you for being here today. As you know, today we embark on a journey that will soon end the war the Denubian galaxy has fought against the nations of all nine kingdoms of the Drule Empire." Applause filled the room as well as nods from different members of the Alliance.

Coran then stood and began presenting the members of the council.

Sitting to Allura's right, Admiral Graham's serious demeanor worried her a bit. Slightly turning toward him, she asked, "Admiral, are you alright?"

The older man looked at the princess, "Everything is alright, your Highness."

She didn't believe it, but decided not to continue the conversation until she could be alone with him. Turning to the group once more, the princess began to pay close attention to who was there, nodding her greeting to each of them as Coran read from the list. As that occurred, a small screen slid upward from the conference table. Within moments, a message appeared on screen, _Drule attack outside of planet_. The message was from Lance.

Allura guessed who was just outside of Arus. Her heart beat faster, although she tried to hide the sudden anxiety she had developed from reading the message. Looking around, she began to type her response. _Take Darrell with you. Make sure Keith is alright. We'll deal with him once we get him back in the castle. Kill everyone else who's in your way._

Once she made sure no further messages came in, she closed the view screen and smiled back at the group eagerly waiting to get the proceeding started.

VVVVVVVVVV

Are you certain of this?" Hazar asked, shocked to hear what Rhyse had just informed him. "It just can't be."

"Believe it. I heard it from Lotor himself. Are you sure the captain is not playing games with us? He could be part of this too." The operative now questioned Keith himself, not sure just how deep the conspiracy against Aven seemed.

Hazar hesitated for a moment, but then with firm determination he answered, "Kogane would not betray us. He must be unaware…" Hazar trailed off. It was as if his mind opened and a flood of knowledge came in. It was confirmed, Allura tipped off Lotor at Ganneth. She most likely made a deal with Lotor to kill Merla, but Keith…were did he fit into this? She had made it clear that she wanted him back…unless… "Rhyse, I'm sending a craft to get you. I'll handle things from here on. Do not worry, Kogane is clean."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I like him," the operative sighed.

"I have to contact them. Rest, there's nothing else you can do at this point."

Nodding, the operative terminated the connection.

Hazar turned to one of his soldiers, "Connect me to the queen's craft, now."

VVVVVVVVVV

After reading Allura's message, Lance sighed heavily. "Deal with Keith once he's back to the castle," he snorted. He knew there was no way that Keith was brainwashed by Drules or anything of the sort. His friend was in his right state of mind.

He shook his head regretfully. Dealing with Allura was one huge mess. It was time to make things right. Taking out his comm. he called the Green Lion pilot, "Darrell, meet me at control. We need to help Keith. He's in trouble."

"On my way," the younger man responded before Lance replaced the unit on his belt and ran toward his lion.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Shit!" Keith looked at the vidscreen and sighed heavily.

"What?" Merla asked worriedly, but knowing what he was about to answer, "We're outnumbered, aren't we?"

"Heavily," he said as he evaded some incoming fighters coming toward him, "I won't be able to destroy them. There are just too many of them. Our best bet is to get away."

Merla didn't bother with a response.

"I know this is not what you want to hear, but I can't fight them. Not with this craft," Keith stated as he dodged another aircraft's rays.

About to run, the vidscreen of the communicator came on, "Never known you to run away, Captain."

A smile emerged from Keith's lips, "Lance!"

"The one and only my friend," the Red Lion pilot smiled back at him, "Now, you have a date to keep and I'm going to have a little fun with Lotor's toys."

"Are you sure?" Keith asked. "I can…"

Lance shook his head, "Go. Darrell and I can handle this."

"Right," the captain replied as Red Lion opened a pathway that allowed them to get to Arus.

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura listened to the speakers who had the floor. The small screen slid upward suddenly. Another message. _Keith headed your way._

A flash of nervousness entered her. _Damn it Lance._ If Keith wasn't stopped, chances were that neither was Merla. She turned and faced Hunk, who stood by the door. Both looked at each other for a moment. The princess then gave him a look of warning. The big man nodded and walked out the door.

"Princess?" the man who was speaking addressed her.

Looking back at the man, she nodded, "I'm sorry Commander Morrau. Could you repeat your question again?"

"Not a problem, your Highness," the man replied, "As I was saying…."

Allura pretended to listen. But, she continued looking at her screen, waiting.


	22. Chapter 22

Hello! Almost done….

Chapter 22

As the ship arrived in the landing bay, Keith watched as dozens of Arusian soldiers ran toward it, armed and ready for any attack imposed on them. Moments later, Keith stepped out of the craft first, ready to address the lead officer, but the guard spoke first.

"We knew it was you, Captain. Lieutenant McClain notified us earlier about your entry onto the planet, but I wanted to confirm it was you. The Summit has all of us on alert."

A little uneasy, Keith replied, "That's alright. But I do want you to know that I have someone with me. Stand down." Moments later, Merla emerged from the ship. The guards remained still, but the tension was evident, "The queen is going to address the members of the Summit."

Nodding uncomfortably, the head guard told Keith as he descended from the ship, "Follow me, sir."

xxxxxxxxxx

As they entered the castle, Keith watched Hunk walk up to him. The bigger man looked serious and when he saw who walked next to his commander, he grew tense as well. "They're in the atrium," he told him as he gave Merla a quick nod in greeting, "Lance told me to escort you there, even though Allura wants quite the opposite."

"Who has the floor?" Keith asked as the three turned toward the room that held all the leaders.

"Not sure," Hunk answered, "I've been patrolling the exteriors. As I told you, Allura is not keen on having you both here. Keith, she thinks you've been…brainwashed."

"I am not now nor ever have been brainwashed Hunk," the captain immediately told him, "This is just an attempt by Allura to stop the inevitable. "

Still a bit uneasy, the taller man asked, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Firmly, the commander answered, "Very. But, I need your help."

"I know Keith," Hunk nodded, "Come on, I'll escort you both in."

Xxxxxxxxxx

As Darrell and Lance destroyed the remainder of Lotor's fighters, the lieutenant wasted no time flying his lion close to Lotor's ship. "Lance, what are you doing?" Darrell suddenly asked; unaware of his friend's sudden move.

"Just follow my lead," he answered, cryptically.

Both lions flew toward the lone ship and Lance connected to Lotor's ship, "Get out!" he seethed.

Lotor looked back at the vidscreen with the same look of determination mirrored in the lieutenant's features, "This is not over, I came here for one thing and I won't leave until I do it."

"You are not getting anywhere close to him asshole, so I suggest you take your ship and leave Arus airspace," Lance answered with a smile. "You have no fighters, no back-up. I'd love to shoot you down and destroy every part of you, but I can't do it…"

Smiling back Lotor interrupted him, "Really, and why not McClain?"

"Because we are not murderers, that's why!" Darrell intervened, "Now, leave!"

Yurak, who watched the display with great interest, turned to the prince, "Abandon this mission. We have failed."

Turning furiously to his second in command, Lotor seethed, "I will do whatever I want to do whenever I want!"

No," Yurak shook his head as he pulled out a blaster from his side belt and pointed it at Lotor, "You're not. Your father's orders supersede yours. Whenever I see fit, I can override you, my prince. That time is now."

Laughing, the prince yelled back, "What the hell are you going to do? Shoot me?"

Yurak looked at him and sighed before shooting him in the leg. Lotor fell immediately, screaming in pain. Turning back to the screen, he faced Lance, who watched the display with a shock, "We will do as instructed," Yurak answered before facing the vid screen, "But this isn't over Voltron Force, not at all," he finished and cut off communication.

Silent as the ship veered away from Arus' airspace, Darrell turned back to Lance, "What the hell just happened?"

Lance still in shock for a bit, smiled, "Enlightenment my man, enlightenment!" he laughed.

"What?" the younger man answered confused.

"Never mind, come on. Let's go back. I need to make sure I do one more thing before Allura ruins us all."

XXXXXXXXX

Inside the atrium, the Summit proceedings continued. Allura, anxious to call a short recess in order to see what was happening at control, tried to think of any excuse that would help her achieve that. She had hoped that either the lions or Lotor had found a way to get rid of Merla. But, things didn't exactly go as she hoped. Before the member who had the floor had a chance to finish, the doors of the atrium opened. The princess immediately turned around and gasped as she watched Merla and Keith walk in.

"Keith?" Allura looked shocked, "What…what are you doing?"

"What I told you I'd do," he replied firmly before facing the rest of people around the room, "Members of the Alliance. As Captain of the Voltron Force, ranking soldier of Galaxy Garrison, and member of the Alliance, I hereby give up my seat to Her Royal Highness, Queen Merla of Aven."

Allura interceded with fierce anger, "You can't do that! As Princess of Arus and leader of the Summit, I override your request."

Everyone in the room looked confused as both the Captain of the Voltron Force and the Princess of Arus butted heads with one another. Coran finally stood up, "Captain, what is the meaning of this? You have no right to interrupt the Summit and request something that has not been authorized by Princess Allura or the Alliance."

"The bylaws state that if I have the permission of three members of the Summit, I can give up my seat," Keith stated, knowing full well the policies put forth by the Alliance. Facing the members, he told them, "You've known me to be very collected, analytical, and fair. I have shared with you in the past, my belief that not all Drule nations share the same political belief system that Zarkon has. Many Drules want to work with the Garrison, they want to be part of the Alliance. They don't deserve to be destroyed for a war they do not believe, or want to fight, in. Queen Merla of Planet Aven is the leader of the Allied Forces. A group that fights against Zarkon and is willing to help the Alliance by providing technological advances that even Zarkon is not aware of. It is in the best interest of this council and this Summit that you listen to her. I believe the war against Zarkon can end with Queen Merla's help."

"This is preposterous!" Allura yelled out. Looking at the members around her, she shook her head in frustration, "You can't possibly believe his words. He's been brainwashed by her."

"I have done no such thing," Merla snapped at her, "You know very well that has not happened, Princess."

"You don't fool me Merla. I know what you are capable of."

Merla didn't hesitate, "I know you do. That's why you've been trying every possible way of stopping me from reaching or speaking at the Summit, haven't you?" At the question, Allura didn't respond, but she was furious.

Confused, Admiral Graham looked at the princess, "What the hell is going on here?"

Keith answered for her, "Admiral, Princess Allura has been trying to stop the queen or anyone else from the Allied Forces from speaking at the Summit. She believes that all Drule nations are the enemy. The queen and I are trying to prove otherwise."

"Keith, she kidnapped you!" Allura yelled back.

"She saved me!" he struck back, "Which is more than I can say about you after you left me for dead on Gannath!"

"This doesn't make any sense!" the Admiral interrupted confused. Looking at the Queen of Aven, he asked, "The commander has willingly been with you all this time?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm sorry we made you believe otherwise, but it was the only way for you not to communicate with the princess until we arrived."

"Princess, you knew about this?"

Allura didn't answer, but Keith did for her, "She's always known." Stepping next to the queen, he faced Graham with determination. "Please listen to her, Admiral. I wouldn't put my career on the line if I didn't believe so strongly in Queen Merla's ability to help us."

Quiet for a moment, Graham sighed, "I hereby approve your request."

Almost immediately another member stood, "I also approve."

Flabbergasted, Allura didn't know what to do, "That's two….is there a third who will agree?" When no one answered, relief filled her. Almost bringing herself to smile, she abruptly turned to Merla when she heard someone speak.

"I also approve," Coran's voice boomed in the atrium.

Turning to her advisor,, her face registered her mortification, "Coran!"

"It is for Arus' best interest," was the only reply from the advisor, "You have the floor."

Relief overtook the pair. Looking at each other, Keith nodded and took her to his assigned seat as the rest of the group also took their places. Encouraging her to begin, he walked over to the audience area and took a seat. With new found determination, Merla spoke, "Members of the Alliance, thank you for bestowing upon me the honor to speak to you today….."

XXXXXXXXX

Landing their lions within their resting places, Lance and Darrell entered the control room with the intention of making their way to the atrium. "How do you think he's doing?" Darrell asked as they walked out.

"I'm sure he got Merla to speak. One thing about Keith…he always gets his way. Damn bastard," Lance answered with a small smile.

Darrell nodded with a smile himself, "That he does, how's Allura going to take all this?"

Sighing, Lance shrugged unnaturally, "That my dear friend, I don't know. I believe it's not going to be good, but don't worry. It will all work out at the end."

"You're more positive than I am right now," Darrell sighed. "I don't think things will end well."

"They will," Lance acknowledged. "I have a very strong feeling they will."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Merla continued speaking; Admiral Graham looked astounded at the advances her planet had hidden for years. He was even more amazed that she was willing to share it with the Alliance against Zarkon and his son.

Keith felt proud as Merla spoke. At one point, he turned and looked at Allura, who stared back at him with such anger and resentment that it was heartfelt. But, he was also angry, for he knew what she had done to make him do the things he did.

His gaze then fell on Merla, who continued speaking with grace, poise and determination. She was just beautiful. Keith had to hold himself from smiling at his content. It was surreal to feel the way he did when he had Allura a few feet from him.

His love for Allura, if ever there was love between them, was over. He had known it for a while, but didn't want to recognize it. The moment he met Merla, he had finally admitted it to himself. He thought he'd feel guilty about such feelings, but found himself feeling thankful and blessed that he had realized it before he'd make the biggest mistake of his life by marrying the Princess of Arus.

Merla continued speaking until the end of her speech. Then, the two gazed into each other's eyes as the members of the Summit clapped. They didn't have to communicate verbally. They spoke through their eyes and understood what they felt for each other.

Xxxxxxxxxx

As they walked closer to the Atrium, Lance's communicator went off. He began reading the message on the small screen.

"What? What happen?" Darrell looked at him worriedly.

"Control," Lance answered. "Soldiers were confirming that Merla's craft was clean. They found nothing, but I have to confirm it. Go to the Atrium, this shouldn't take me long, I'll be right back."

Nodding, the younger pilot nodded, "Alright, but you're probably going to be missing the fun."

"I doubt it," Lance answered as he walked away.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Turning back to the members of the Alliance, Merla spoke to Graham, "Admiral, we are prepared to form an alliance with the Garrison. Should you agree, the Allied Forces will help you technologically and arsenal wise, in hopes to finally achieve the peace that those of the Denubian Galaxy deserve," Merla finished firmly.

Silent for a bit, Graham then looked to Keith, "Captain, are you willing to stand by Queen Merla and stand by the statements she has voiced at this Summit?"

Nodding firmly, the captain replied, "Absolutely, Admiral. I helped create the plan the Allied Forces drafted. I assure you; they speak the truth and I will stand by them."

Sighing the older man turned to the Princess of Arus, "Did you have knowledge of this, Princess Allura?"

Silent at first, the princess sighed in resignation, "Yes."

"And it didn't occur to you to share this vital information with us?" the older man questioned with anger in his tone.

"Would it have been that important, Admiral?" Allura asked as sarcasm flavored her question.

"This knowledge has the ability to open many doors for us," Graham replied. "Did you see the possibilities of this treaty?"

Allura laughed, "Possibilities of what? You want these sick killers to roam around free in our galaxy? They have nothing to offer! They are a plague that needs to be extinct and now all of you will ruin us!"

"Princess, you seem to forget that you do not rule over us!" Graham raised his voice. The other members of the Summit stared in shock at the event taking place around them.

"Of course I do. Need I remind you, _Admiral_, that without Voltron, you are nothing?"

"Need I remind you, that Voltron not only belongs to you, but to the Alliance!" the older man shouted in anger.

Shocked, Allura's blue eyes widened, "What?"

"Check with your advisor _Princess,_" Graham firmly stated. "Coran made sure to sign over Voltron to the Garrison, should the members of the Summit ever come to believe that you were not fit for command over it. I think after today, you have made this possible."

Allura turned to her advisor, "What are they talking about?"

Sighing in regret, the old man answered, "It was your father's wish that Voltron belonged to the entire Galaxy, not just Arus. He signed it over to the Garrison years before you were born, before it was built. He made sure that you would keep power over Voltron unless you…became unfit."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Allura screamed back.

"It was his wish that I observed, not as your advisor, but as a parent, when it came to your…heart," Coran shook his head, "Allura, your heart and what you feel is something that is not taught. You made your choice."

"What are you saying Coran?" the princess sneered, "You are the last person I thought would ever defy me."

"You are nothing like your father, Allura. You are a cold, heartless woman. I tried to raise you to hold onto the values and beliefs your parents held. You've held nothing." Turning around, Coran faced the members of the Summit, "It is with deep regret that I do this, but you've all heard of the actions Princess Allura has done in the last few weeks. I ask for a vote. All those who believe the princess should keep control of the Voltron Lions, please raise your hands."

No one in the room did.

"All those who oppose," Coran continued. At that point, the entire assembly raised their hands.

Allura's eyes bore more anger and resentment that anyone had ever seen. She looked at Keith and Merla, murdering them both with those cold blues.

"It is with deep regret Princess Allura, that I relinquish your control of all five lions that form Voltron," Coran finished.

"No!" the princess shouted.

The advisor looked at the princess sadly, "It is done."

Graham stood and looked at the assembly. "I think we should all reconvene the Summit tomorrow. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll return to our rooms and meet again at dinner."

Members of the Summit stood and silently left the room just as Darrell filtered in. He looked in question around him and immediately walked up to the group that remained.

"What will happen now?" Keith asked as he stood next to Merla.

Marshall Graham looked at the pair, "Queen Merla, if you are ready, I can help you work on a treaty to unite with the Alliance."

"I am," Merla nodded in confirmation.

Looking at what took place around her and seeing she no longer had a voice, the Princess of Arus turned to her former lover, "This is your fault!" Allura shouted at Keith, her eyes strained with tears of anger. "How could you do this to me?" Pulling out her blaster from a pocket under her attire, the princess pointed the gun at the queen. "You! You're the cause of all of this!"

Instinctively, Keith stepped forward to cover Merla, "Allura, put the gun down."

Shaking her head crazily, the princess answered, "No. She ruined everything! If she hadn't gotten into Lotor's way, you...damn it!"

Realization hit Keith like an arrow landing on a bullseye, "That was the plan?" Hunk and Darrell looked at each other shocked as Keith spoke. "You wanted Lotor to capture me, why?"

"So you could feel what he was capable of doing." Allura sneered. "I ordered him to capture and do whatever needed to be done to get you to see things my way."

Looking straight at her, Merla interfered, "You knew he'd kill him. Lotor wasn't just going to torture him, you do know that?"

Silent for a moment, the princess then answered, "I needed to do whatever needed to be done."

"Allura!" Coran shook his head in disbelief.

Looking at the advisor, the Arusian princess laughed sarcastically, "You mean nothing to me. You've betrayed me, Coran. I don't care what you or the Alliance or anyone for that matter, thinks or does. The lions are staying with me and you Merla, are not going to get in my way."

"Allura don't!" Keith shouted as the princess raised her gun at that pair.

"Princess, stop!" they suddenly heard Lance's voice in the room, "Put down your weapon," he forcefully ordered.

The Arusian princess looked at him in shock, "How can you allow this to happen?" she asked Lance, "I trusted you!"

"Damn it Allura, put down your weapon! This isn't the way to solve this," Lance replied. "There are… other ways."

Allura looked at Lance with heartbreaking eyes, "It wasn't supposed to be this way."

Lance nodded, sympathy evident in his eyes, "I know, beautiful. Now please put your weapon down. We can fix this," his eyes pleaded.

Reluctantly, she did as he ordered. Lowering her hand she loosened her grip against the handle, the group relaxed as Lance took the weapon away from her.

Breathing a bit easier, Keith looked at his friend, "Thank you, Lance."

With a small smile and nod, he answered, "Don't mention it, my friend."

Then without a thought, he raised the gun he had taken away from the princess and shot Keith three times.

A/N:

All I have to say is that I gave clues people! Don't kill me….hugs?


	23. Chapter 23

Hello all. Thank you so much for your continued support. I so appreciate your comments, thoughts and reviews. We have one more chapter to go after this one and we are done! Whoo hoo!

Chapter 23-Leigheasóir anama

Keith went down in Merla's arms. "Keith! Keith!" she called to him. No response. Keith looked up at Merla in horrified shock. Looking up, she saw Lance, still with the gun raised, protecting Allura. The princess attempted to run to Keith, but Coran stopped her.

Darrell and Hunk raised their weapons, "Lance, put your weapon down now. Now!" Hunk yelled.

He looked at his two friends surprised, "What the hell is wrong with you two? He had to die! He was ruining everything for us. Everything!" Lance yelled back. "The Drules destroy everything human, this cannot happen. We couldn't let it happen! I couldn't let it happen."

"Lance, stand down!" Darrell yelled as he gritted his teeth, "Damn it, stand down now!"

"The hell I am!" Lance looked at his friends. "They're ruining our world, killing humans. Don't you see? Allura has been right all along! Why can't all of you see it?" He then turned the gun on Merla. "She's the damn enemy!"

Keith gasped for air, but heard his friend's words and begged, "L…L…Lance. No…"

"Stop!" Hunk shouted. "Stand down or I'll put you down!"

Looking back at Keith, Lance shook his head in disgust. "For years you've gotten everything you've ever wanted. You're the Garrison's super-boy, Keith. You've gotten the most prestigious position in the galaxy, the opportunity to be king to the most powerful planet in the Denubian Galaxy, even the most beautiful woman who's ever lived," he said, looking at Allura. Turning back to Keith, he snarls, "And then, you throw it all away…for what…fucking Drules! You pathetic, worthless, son of a bitch! You deserve your death."

"Lance! How could you?" Allura's tears cascaded down like waterfalls. "You bastard!"

Turning to face her, he seethed, "Bastard? I don't remember you using those words when I fucked you on nights you came crawling to me. I loved you Allura. With everything in me, I loved you, yet you preferred him. Always him! After everything that I did for you…."

"You knew it was always Keith…you knew that!"

"I gave up my soul for you!" Lance crazily shouted. "I turned my back on my friends…damn it I even got rid of Sven so you could fly Blue."

Both Hunk and Darrell's eyes widened, "What…Lance, what did you say?" Hunk asked in shock.

"What you heard," Lance nodded as he looked at them with tears running down his eyes, "She wanted to fly Blue so much that she came over one night to my room, gave herself to me and asked me to find a way to get rid of Sven. I did. Planned to perfection…I thought that maybe we'd be together after that…yet, she had it all planned out. The bitch went into Keith's arms and played with me at the same time…" He looked back at Keith, now bleeding profusely on the floor, but fighting to remain awake. "That's right, she was fucking both of us at the same time for years."

"You killed Sven?" Darrell asked, still in shock from what he was experiencing, "Lance, how could you have killed him?"

"I thought I did." Lance confessed, "I should have. But he's in the Pit of Skulls. I put him there myself not long ago," he said as pictures of the man he saved when they went to look for Keith on Doom came into his mind. Looking at Keith, he laughed, "You disgust me, you self-righteous prick!" Lance said as he stepped closer to Merla, "Die with him!"

"Don't!" Merla's voice cracked as she saw the barrel just above her eyes.

About to shoot, Merla jumped when she heard the shot. Then she heard Allura's voice, "Oh Gods!" she screamed as Lance plummeted to the floor.

Hunk's hands shook as Darrell carefully walked to him and gently pushed his friend's hands down. "Hunk," he said quietly, despite the continued screams around him, "Put it down." The bigger man nodded uneasily. Satisfied that Hunk wouldn't fire again, Darrell ran over to Lance's body and tried to find a pulse. Looking back at Hunk, he shook his head.

Detaching herself from Coran, Allura rushed to her fiancé. "Keith!" she cried as she tried to get to him, but Merla's defiant stare stopped her.

Turning her gaze to Keith, Merla softened, "Please, don't leave me. I love you…I love you…" Allura's eyes filled with shock and hurt. Keith watched the events unfold in front of him as if it were a horrible dream, with his best friend dead, his fiancée hysterically crying while his lover hovered over him. He couldn't believe it. "Keith…" He heard Merla say before the world began to dim.

He vaguely watched as Hunk and Darrell came to him, "Come on Keith, stay with us…."

"Coran, call Gorma!" he thought he heard someone say. _Echoes_, he heard echoes. And the world went black.

VVVVVVVVV

Keith felt a strange sensation. A rainbow of colors flooded around him in disarray with no particular order, just a psychedelic array of colors filling his eyes. He noticed the sound of muffled voices as well. For the life of him, he couldn't recognize the voices, they seemed so foreign, so far away.

"Stay with me, Kogane," he heard one muffled voice call him. He wanted to answer, but he couldn't. He felt he had lost his voice. "Keith, damn it, stay with us!" another voice.

Colors, so many flashes of colors. No particular order, no particular meaning to them, just colors.

Then, a black fog covered the symphony of colors passing by him, a black, dense fog, blacker than black, dark as a mass of crows flying around the sky. "No! You son of a bitch, Stay with us! Damn you." Another voice.

No voice. No strength. Darkness called, pulling him away from the colors.

"Shock him!"

The fog grew thicker, denser. It now felt like it was swallowing him. Cold. He felt cold.

Keith suddenly felt a tug. Something was pulling him, he couldn't tell what. The tug became a strong grip and it pulled him harder. He fought it. _What the hell is it?_

"Don't fight me," he heard a familiar voice as clear as a cloudless day. "Don't fight me, love. Come with me."

He followed the voice. It was the sweetest voice he had ever heard.

VVVVVVVVV

When Keith opened his eyes, he looked around to find himself in MedTech. Unable to remember how he got there, he tried rising, but a scorching pain in his chest stopped him. He went back down.

Gasping from the pain, he searched for the control to call the nurse. Within a couple of moments, he found it and pressed it.

It didn't take a minute for Dr. Gorma and a familiar figure to walk in. "Commander, thank goodness you are fully awake."

Merla smiled at him as the doctor began checking him over. Keith tried to speak to her, but found it hard to do so. She looked tired and worn out, "Don't speak," she told him, "You need to save your strength."

Keith stared at her for a while, suddenly remembering the events that led him to MedTech. He waited until he had enough strength to speak, "L...L…Lance."

Merla sighed, "I'm sorry," she shook her head in regret.

The commander groaned in pain, tears flowed out of his eyes, "My friend…he…was my…friend."

The queen held his hand while restraining herself from saying anything about the traitor Keith thought of as a friend, "It will be alright, Keith. You need to calm down and save your strength."

He calmed down, took a deep breath and suddenly remembered something else. Keith continued looking at her intensely, "You…saved me. You…saved…me."

Tilting her head in question, Merla replied. "What?"

Her voice was soft; it mirrored the pain he felt. Keith's eyes began to close, but he refused to let darkness claim him before he told her. "I felt you…I…heard…you," he told her before he finally closed his eyes and allowed darkness to swallow him one more time.

Gorma looked at her in question, "What is he talking about?"

Merla continued looking at the man she had fallen in love with. He felt her. Tears fell from her eyes, "He knows," she nodded, "He knows."

VVVVVVVV

Merla heard the door of the room opening and was immediately startled awake. Thinking it was the doctor, she was surprised to find Hunk walking in. She stood up, composed herself and waited for what she thought would be a confrontation with another Voltron Force member.

He stared at Merla for a moment before settling his gaze on his fallen friend. Quiet for a moment, he finally spoke, "How is he?"

"He hasn't regained consciousness again," she answered him, still weary of what he would do or say next, "You're the one…

Hunk nodded curtly and continued looking at Keith, "I…I didn't think this would end this way."

"I'm so sorry," Merla replied. It was the only thing she could think of saying at the time.

The big man shook his head in frustration, "I couldn't let Lance kill him, but…oh shit…what the hell happened, what the hell did I do?"

"You did what you had to do to save him," Merla answered with authority. She knew he needed to hear confirmation that he had done the right thing. "If it wasn't for you, Keith would be dead. You saved him….you saved me and for that, I will forever be in your debt."

Hunk finally looked at her, his eyes showed a gratitude that his words would not express. He nodded, "When do you think he'll wake up?"

"I'm not sure," the queen replied. "He's going to be in and out for a while, that's what the doctor said."

"Are you going to stay with him? Coran has a room prepared…"

"No," she smiled a little before answering, "Thank you. But I rather stay with him until he wakes up again."

"Do you love him?"

The question surprised Merla; she never thought he'd be so forward with her. The queen looked into his eyes and within them saw confusion, but at the same time wonder. "I do. Very much."

Hunk smiled, "Good. He deserves that. Keith's a good guy. He has too much of a heart sometimes. He must love you too."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because," the man began, "I saw the way he protected you, the look in his eyes," he paused for a bit before continuing, "He was scared. Keith's never scared, your Majesty. That's how I knew. He only had that look once in his life."

"When?" she whispered.

"The day he lost Beverly."

VVVVVVVV

The next time Keith woke up, he felt a bit stronger, but pain still lingered all over his body. He turned his face to find Merla looking out the window. He gathered all his strength to call to her.

When Merla heard her name, she quickly turned, "You're awake." She smiled and walked over to him before taking his hand.

"How long?" Keith managed to ask, even though that effort managed to drain him.

"Three days. You've been in and out of consciousness for three days," she answered him as she sat down in a chair beside his bed.

Keith studied her for a moment and noticed how worn out she looked. The dark circles under her eyes were evidence that she hadn't slept in days, "You look…tired."

She laughed a little, "You don't look too good yourself, Captain."

He smiled a bit and then sighed looking up at the ceiling. Merla noticed the thoughtful expression on his face and asked, "What do you remember?"

Keith shook his head slowly, "Lance, he shot me. Allura…I don't know what happened after that."

Sighing, Merla decided not to discuss that part. Instead, she began to explain the events that happened after he blacked out. She noticed the look of intense sadness in his features. The deception that Allura had played on him had been great. He gave her everything and she sent him to be tortured by her own worst enemy.

Merla also knew he had lost more than a friend. Lance meant a lot to him and it sickened her to see how he felt so much for someone who wanted nothing else than to destroy him. _A terran thing_, she thought.

"They won't give him… a military burial," Keith finally whispered, "How… will his body… be transferred back… to Earth?"

"Why do you care?" she asked curiously.

"His family…" he swallowed. "They are good people…they don't…"

"Need to know?" she finished for him.

He nodded gently.

"Keith…"

"Some secrets…are meant to be kept…in darkness," he answered solemnly.

Merla maintained her silence. She didn't agree. As far as Lance McClain was concerned, he deserved to rot in whatever darkness souls went after death and even that was too good of an ending for him.

"What do you want to do then?" the queen asked, inwardly sighing as she resigned herself to do whatever he asked.

"I need to speak to the admiral," Keith said slowly. "I'll convince him… to at least do it for… Lance's family.'

Nodding, Merla replied, "I'll arrange that for you. But for now, you need to rest." She stood up and began walking toward the door when she heard him call her back.

"We're not done love," he told her, his voice a bit firmer, "We haven't discussed something else."

Walking back to him, Merla curiously looked at him as she once again took a seat, "What else?"

Keith shifted a little, the pain making him flinch, but he managed to look at her better from his new position, "I was dying Merla… I felt myself dying." He stopped to gather more strength, "I felt you coming toward me. Pulling me back from death. I heard your voice."

The queen looked back at him, keeping quiet in order to listen to him.

"What did you do?" Keith asked. "Please Merla…tell me what you did."

Sighing, she finally answered, "The correct term is _leigheasóir anama. _It means soul healer." Keith's eyes, although strained, were full of interest as she continued speaking. "Women from my mother's home world possess the ability to heal. But few have the rare ability to bring the soul back to the body during the brink of death. I, for some reason, inherited both gifts from my mother," the queen replied. "It's not something I speak of publicly. It is a gift that, if people knew, could put me in a lot of danger."

"And you used it on me? In front of a group of people you didn't know?" Keith asked, overwhelmed by the act of compassion she had showed him.

Merla smiled faintly, "Humans really don't know much about this gift. Things happened so fast, I don't think anyone really noticed what I did," she paused for a moment, "They were too focused on you."

Weakly, he lifted his hand, beckoning for hers. She took it immediately, giving him a gentle squeeze that she knew he could not provide. "Thank you," he told her.

"I couldn't let you leave me," she answered him. "I've fallen in love with you, Keith Kogane. I won't allow you to leave my side." She came closer to him, leaning her face to his. Then, she placed the softest of kisses on his lips. With all his remaining strength, his kissed her back until the kiss grew stronger and longing reached her. Merla broke away from him, "I think we should stop now. Dr. Gorma should be checking you," she rose from her chair and headed toward the door.

"Merla," she heard his voice again as she opened the door. The queen turned to face him, "I love you," he softly told her as he closed his eyes.

She smiled, "I know." Remembering Hunk's words, she continued, "I love you too, love. More than I ever thought possible."

A/N

_leigheasóir anama—Irish Gaelic for Soul Healer_


	24. Chapter 24

I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who followed me through this journey. You guys are wonderful and I am very grateful to you.

**Lance4Ever:** Thank you so much for being so funny and supportive. I know that last chapter was not easy to digest, but thank so so much for your wonderful reviews. At times, I was cracking up at work when I read them! Next story, you'll love who I'll pair your baby with.

**KathDMD:** My wonderful friend, thank you so much for your emails, reviews, suggestions and overall support. I loved our late night chats. We have to have a girls online night out. I'll buy a great bottle of wine just for the occasion!

**Mer3Girl**: What can I say girlie! You and I are on the same wavelength. I'm glad we got to know each other. Can't wait to see how yours turns out! REALLY, I can't wait!

**Feli3:** Wow! I can't believe you read it. I know you're a K/A shipper, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading.

To **Chinagirl30; FroobyB; Elizabeth2001; Snyperlady; ReaderJunkie; Lotornomiko; Lotor Sincline; BKNBU**, **Charigul **THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU!

And last but not least, Sue, thank you! Without, this story would have had the worst grammar in the world! LOL! You are my dearest and oldest friend. We started this journey together and I hope we continue stronger and better.

I feel like I just won the academy award! If I missed anyone, please forgive me and let me know!

Again, you all have been wonderful! I hope to see you all soon.

Hugs, kisses, XoXo!

Chapter 24—The End

Keith slowly moved around the room, gathering his belongings. After weeks in MedTech, he was finally discharged and allowed to go to his room to gather his things. Allura had been asked to stay away from the room until Keith finished packing.

Luckily, Coran had made sure the bulk of his belongings had already been transferred to the room he used to occupy before his engagement with Allura. Very little remained in the royal suite. Keith sighed with relief as he finished, he had barely regained his strength, and even this little exercise was wearing him out. The few remaining items he found, he placed in a small suitcase that he could roll out. When he opened the door to leave, he found someone waiting outside for him.

"Merla, I thought you'd wait for me by the ship?" Keith asked curiously.

The woman shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure you didn't need any help," she answered taking the suitcase away from him, "Besides, by the way you look right now, I don't think you'll be able to make it to the ship on your own."

He chuckled a bit, "I look that bad?"

"I've never seen a human look so white," Merla told him, taking his hand as they walked down the hallway. She noticed his labored breathing and slowing pace, "Let's walk slowly, tell me if we need to take a break, the hanger is all the way on the other side of the castle."

Nodding, he answered, "I didn't think packing a few things would take so much out of me."

She kissed his cheek, "Once we get to the ship, you're going straight to bed to rest." Keith nodded without argument. At that point she knew he was really feeling ill for she knew that the one thing Keith Kogane hated most was to rest.

They continued walking at a slow pace. Once they arrived at the hanger, the pair was greeted by Coran, who sadly smiled at them, "I think this is goodbye."

"For just a couple of weeks," Keith reminded him, "I'll see you at the Garrison Council meeting."

Nodding, the older man answered, "I'll be there. I'm sorry things went the way they did Keith."

"I'm sorry too, Coran. But, in a way I'm glad," Keith replied looking at Merla, "Sometimes the most unexpected things happen in life that turn out to be good things." Merla smiled at him in reply. Looking over the older man, he continued. "Are you sure about your decision concerning the lions?"

"You are still the best pilot for them and if we are to defeat Lotor, we must unite. Besides, once this war is over, they'll come home."

"That's a promise," Keith responded firmly.

It was then Merla's turn to speak, "I'll have my scientists come in a few days to install new weaponry for the castle. Are you sure the princess will be…"

Shaking his head, the old man replied, "Allura has no say so in the matter. I have taken over as ruler until I see that she is capable to reign again. The princess has much learning to do and I intend to do it right this time."

"If you need anything Coran…" Keith interjected.

"We'll be fine, Commander. With the new technology Merla has offered, we'll be able to protect the people while you have the lions. I have no doubt that with time, we'll change the minds and perceptions of those who still judge without reason." Coran extended his hand towards the couple, who each shook it with firmness and resolution. After their conversation ceased, Keith and Merla walked toward ship. Soon they were greeted by Hunk and Darrell.

"Seeing me off?" Keith asked sadly.

Hunk let out a hearty laugh, "More like going with you."

Surprised, Keith asked, "What?"

"Well, you still need pilots and we are a team," Darrell added, "We go, where you go."

"Besides," Hunk then interjected, "We need to talk to you about something."

Seeing the concern in the bigger man features, Keith then asked, "What? What's going on?"

Sighing, Hunk started, "I wasn't going to bring it up until you were better, but there was something that Lance said that day that's been bothering me."

"What did Lance say?" Keith inquired with a bit of worry.

"He spoke of Sven. He did things…" It was very hard for Hunk to speak, "anyways, I'll tell you all in good time, but he did confess to us that Sven is alive and most likely in the Pit of Skulls. I want…"

"We'll go get him Hunk," Keith answered with determination and surprise by what he had just heard, "We'll find him and bring him home. Are you sure that Lance was…"

"I think he was telling the truth," Hunk nodded. "We have to try, Keith."

"We will. Besides, we need a pilot for Blue."

"Who will fly Red?" Darrell asked.

With a small smile, Keith answered, "I have a pretty good idea of who it can be. A certain operative from Aven, who I know will be perfect for the job."

Trusting his leader, Darrell nodded, "Alright then. This should be quite an adventure. But I'm glad you're here to join us for the ride."

A real smile formed in Keith's face, "Thank you."

"No problem," Hunk waved his hand as he took the suitcase from Merla and began entering the ship, "Just make sure you hook me up with some hot Drule women."

As everyone began entering the ship, Keith asked Merla, "Give me a minute. I'll be right in."

Understanding what he meant, she smiled and walked up the ramp, leaving him outside. Keith looked around for one last time at the place he thought was home. Arus fooled him. As he continued looking, his gaze rose to the top balconies where a lone figure stood staring down at him. Her blond hair flew against the wind. He could still see the features. She looked angry, full of rage. Keith realized it would take a long time for Allura to change, if she ever did. She gazed at him for a moment before promptly turning around and walking back inside her castle.

"Hey, Chief!" Hunk broke his concentration. "Ready?"

Keith turned at Hunk's voice, "Let's go."

VVVVVVVVV

Six months later….

As Merla lay on top of him, Keith caressed the long, thick, pink hair that blanketed her back. He kissed the top of her head as she echoed a thought with a sigh. The war with the Lotor and Zarkon continued, but Aven and the Alliance had made significant headway. It would be a long road before defeating Zarkon's empire, but they remained positive.

The lions were now stationed at Aven and as Keith expected, Zarkon's anger and hate hit them instead of Arus. For the moment, Arus was safe in terms of attacks. Aven received the brunt of it, but at least it was better equipped than Arus was. They'd survive.

Coran had taken over all royal duties on Arus, Allura served only to make appearances to her people who still believed she held power. The Garrison and Alliance knew otherwise. Lance had been buried with all the honors of a soldier by the Garrison. The team barely spoke of him, maybe in the future they would, but the wound was still deep within their hearts and at the moment, they preferred to keep their thoughts about him to themselves.

Keith wasted no time in his search for Sven. It had taken him two months, but they found him. Sven's wounds had been attended to by a woman who found him after the Drule soldiers had thrown him carelessly in the pit. She took great care of him. Her name was Romelle and the day they found him, he brought her along. The two were inseparable. At times, Keith stared at her, noticing the similarities between Romelle and Allura. They looked the same, but they were so different. She was gentle, supporting, and loved his friend so much….he was happy for Sven. If there was anyone who could bring Sven back to who he was before Lance's betrayal it would be Romelle.

It had taken another couple of months to nurse him back to health and get him to a point where he was able to fly again. During his absence, Hazar or Merla took over. Rhyse had taken over Red and as expected he fit perfectly with the group. Keith felt much more comfortable that they had back up pilots, something they never had back on Arus.

Looking down at his lover, Keith noticed her stillness, slowness in breathing. She gently caressed his arm with her hand, her composure felt as if she was lost in thought.

"What are you thinking?" Keith asked her quietly.

"That this feels so good, being with you, but…I can't help to think this is wrong as well."

"It isn't," Keith answered her as he wrapped both arms around her. "It isn't," he repeated. "It feels good because it is perfect."

Merla smiled, but she continued speaking without looking him, "Keith, even you must admit that a relationship between a Drule and a human is hardly perfect. Who would accept something like this?"

"Why is it up to anyone to accept? Why can't it be what it is? Two beings that have fallen in love."

At this, she immediately looked up and stared into the onyx eyes that looked back at her with such gentleness and appreciation that she couldn't help but smile. Her yellow eyes shined brightly as she asked, "You have no reservations about us, do you?"

"Merla, I know this is crazy, but…being with you…I finally feel that I in the place that I should be. I've come to realize that, I've never felt as happy, as hopeful, as peaceful, than when I'm with you." He paused for a bit and then kissed her as he turned her over and laid himself on top of her. "I love you, my queen. I love you, Merla."

"What about Allura?" she whispered as she played with his hair, "Are your feelings truly over for her?"

"Why should we even speak of her?" he asked her as he raised his brow at her question. He hadn't seen her since he left Arus. Merla noticed that he didn't speak about her either. It made her happy, but no matter how assertive she was, there was still a part within her that needed reassurance. Love made you feel so different at times.

"Are you sure of your decision?" Merla asked him. "Keith…"

"We fooled ourselves into thinking there was love there," he interrupted her, "What we had between us were the expectations everyone had of us being together. I don't think we truly wanted each other."

"And what will everyone expect of us?"

"Who cares," Keith smiled at her, "What I expect is for us to accept what we have. My love, you and I are going to change the universe. You and I are the new Adam and Eve."

She tilted her head in question, "Adam and Eve?"

He chuckled at her questioning gaze, "You'll know soon enough, you'll know soon enough."

"No, I want to know now. In fact I demand it," she ordered. She hated it when he left things half way. "You know Keith, I really hate when you leave me with questions."

He ignored her and instead, kissed her. That feeling in her stomach again began to rise, her nether regions began to feel warm. No, she wasn't going to let this go. He let go of her lips and began working on her neck, teasing her, nibbling his way down and around her neck, "First…you need to know that if this is going to work…you just can't…" _What is he doing to me!_ "Leave me…questioning things."

Keith worked his way down and chose one of her breasts to take into his mouth and caress with his tongue. Merla closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his tongue on her body, but she didn't want to give up, "Second…we make decisions…together." She moaned in pleasure. Once he let go, Keith returned and worked his way up again her neck as she opened her legs and began feeling his member working its way into her. "And three…" he didn't let her finish; he kissed her with such passion that she soon forgot what three was and wrapped her legs around him as he claimed her once more.


End file.
